Is Hermione more talented than Voldemort was at his age?

[LeiaShadow]

Hermione has book smarts. She can probably memorize things better than Tom could. Tom, however, was very powerful, very charming, very cunning. I think Hermione has some of that, but not nearly as much as Tom. Therefore I think that Tom Riddle was more powerful than Hermione is. He has more "practical" power, you could say. Not just charm--he knew what he was doing: learning how to make horcruxes at the age of 16, after all, and he was very successful in that, we know. I think Hermione has more morals, though. She knows where to draw the line on certain things that I am sure Tom would have no clue about. Like she knows people's feelings--this may be a girl thing, but then again, it may not be--and this is very important for success in the world; just as important as charm and power.

[thegreatlake]

It's very difficult to make that comparison, and both of them are brilliant, but in completely different ways. Voldemort is the best in his field, which just happens to be the Dark Arts. Hermione, on the other hand, and great at learning and studying. She is the best in her year, and probably even better than some in higher years. She successfully brewed the Polyjuice Potion alone (with some help from Ron and Harry, but seriously, could you really call that help?) in her second year, and as we know from HBP, students begin to study the Polyjuice Potion in their NEWTs class, in 6th year. That, in my book, is amazing! While Tom Riddle was also at the top of his class, he ultimately decided to put his brilliance to an evil use, while Hermione decided to help Harry and the good side. I think this makes her more brilliant. After all, it was Dumbledore who said that it is your choices that show who you truly are, not your abilities.

[Bogeyman]

Hermione is most undeniably a bright student and she probably is smarter than Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle learned about Horcruxes because he had evil intents so therefore he was bound to learn about it sooner or later. Hermione probably didn't even try looking for them.

[Montse]

i think its like comparin orange to lemon juice,both good,but so different,still i think its the approach,hermione is like some here call her book smart,a good witch,can produce spells and potions fine,while voldemort was power hungry and probaly dint care for simple spells,if good,and wanting good grades i think both wuld have been the same sort of,ambition and power make the big difference.

[Saint_Potter]

Everyone is saying that Riddle is more talented because he was able to find out about horcruxes and tried other branches of magic. But think about it, these are the Dark Arts. It's like Dumbledore says, its our choices that make us what we are. Riddle delved into the Dark Arts looking for power to control and manipulate others, and he got it. This wasn't on Hermione's agenda. Does that mean she is less talented than Riddle was? Well think about Dumbledore too? Is LV more powerful than Dumbledore, or more talented? Dumbledore says himself that Voldemort has powers that he could never know of, but that's because, according to McGonagall, Dumbledore was too noble to use them.

I don't think the knowledge of the Dark Arts or your ability to use it is the issue, but rather talent. We don't know that if under different circumstances, Neville would have been a better wizard if his parents weren't driven insane. Merope was able to show her talent easier after her father was hauled off to Azkaban. If Hermione had the same agenda as Tom Riddle, I think we could make a more fair comparison of their talents.

[Emperor_Gestahl]

Growin up in an orphange doesn't account for a complete absence of compassion, love, friendship and pity.

[kitkat310]

Something else to note.

Two people in the story figured out what was in the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione and Tom Riddle.

Hermione figured it out when she was 12
Tom figured it out when he was 16

As others have pointed out, Hermione would not be delving into the dark arts..but she has done quite a few clever things. How about figuring out the potions during first year, the chamber during the second, her grades throughout third year..(I mean, come on...not many people could do that..) The fact that she always masters spells incredibly fast, faster than any student.

I think people can discredit Hermione because she's not superior to Harry in DADA. But I don't think that's there to show that Hermione isn't good at DADA. I think there was one person who got an O in DADA, and I think JK wanted to make it known that guts and impulsive thinking, rather than rationality and "thinking"...It's to show Harry's greatness, not Hermione's weakness.

[Carb_King]

Both are pretty equal at their studying ability.
However, Tom is more skilled at maipulating people and getting what he wants (Horcruxes for example), while Hermione is absolutely horrible at this (Book 6 Shop Scene).

[Chris]

Hermione figured out content of the CoS primarily b/c it was opened and in action while she was 12. I think that TR was already looking for it then, but was at an information disadvantage relative to Hermione. TR had to find it from scratch. So, kind of an unfair advantage for Hermione...

I think that DD was right - TR was the most brilliant student ever at the school. From what DD has said, TR was the top student in his class, with top marks in all his classes. He was talented enough at DADA that he was seriously considered for the post immediately upon graduation.

The way I look at it...Hermione's a once in a decade or so type of student. We the readers are at an information disadvantage, too, since we don't know just how good the top-in-class is from the classes in front of and behind the trio. The only information we have to operate on for this comparison is subjective. Hagrid calls Hermione the brightest witch of her age he's ever met. While I like Hagrid...he's kind of biased...so I can't take 100% stock in this.

I'd conclude that TR was more talented than Hermione. TR seems like a once-in-a-century type of student, while Hermione's a once-in-a-decade type. We've only seen one other "top of class", and that was Barty Crouch, Jr, and his resume sounded almost identical to Hermione and TR (classroom wise). IMO whether Sirius and James were the exact top of their class is still open to debate - I remember them being called the top, but never having had it be explicitly stated they were 1 and 2.

[LostWizard]

No I don't even think it's close. Look at what Riddle could do prior to going to Hogwart's. And even DD described LV at being one of the most talented students to ever through Hogwarts.

[LordMoldyShorts]

No. Riddle was making Horcruxes and opening long forgotten secret chambers than, whereas Hermione is just getting Outstandings.

[okkid]

Though they were both good at studies and very talented Voldemort seems to be at a much higher level.He was always just a natrually brilliant wizard even as a teenager.

[Half_Blood26]

I suppose that Voldemort was a naturual at magic, and he didn't have to practice a lot, but Hermione does, and thats what sets them apart.

[speedoairhed]

are we asking this becuase we think perhaps there will be a showdown between them? or are we just curious?

[ateenangel]

I'm going to have to go with a no. Even if we're just discussing talent, Tom wins out. Even when he was little he could convince almost everyone that he was a perfect little angel. That does take a lot of talent. By the time he was 17 he already had an army of followers who practically worshipped him. Hermione may have a few friends, but she gets flustered and I doubt she could inspire that kind of fanatical loyalty. She'd definetly more book smart than people smart.

Hermione is definetly smart, but she's no Tom Riddle. That being said, I think she could has the brains to be an par with him. She just doesn't devote her time exclusively to power. She studies and hangs out with friends. Also, Tom was willing to delve into the Darker Arts (which is probably how he found out about Horcruxes). Hermione is strictly a good girl, which I think makes her inherently weaker.

P.S. I think it was asked for academic reasons only. If it came down to Hermione and Voldemort now. There'd be no contest. And since Hermione isn't likely to be fighting 17-year-old Voldemort anytime soon...

[speedoairhed]

Originally Posted by ateenangel

P.S. I think it was asked for academic reasons only. If it came down to Hermione and Voldemort now. There'd be no contest. And since Hermione isn't likely to be fighting 17-year-old Voldemort anytime soon...

Good point. I just thought it was an odd question, unless it was purely for enjoyment (which i think it is).

[CatWitch]

From what I've read, Hermione's knowledge seem to come mostly from books and a lot of studies. Yes, she is clever and wise and knowledgeable, but these could be Muggle qualities as well as Wizard's. It is said all over the books : she is brainy. A typical Muggle quality.
Voldemort, on another hand seems to have been more of a "natural", a raw (and huge) talent. After all, he was performing rather advanced magic (compared to his fellow Wizards) whithout even knowing it. And it seems to me that it is only his hunger for more and more power that made him become a model student.
In other words, it seems to me that Hermione has a lot up to her sleeve because she's learned so much but I don't think she is (or could ever become) as powerful as Voldemort. That is in regards to magical powers though. If Love really is the strongest of powers then she definitely has an advantage over him for as much as she can be "rule oriented", Love (or friendship) has always come first for her.

CW

[Merlock]

I think that Hermione is more talented and better at studies that don't exactly focus on the Dark Arts. I think that she may have been better than Tom at his age at subjects like Charms or Transfiguration, but definitely not the Dark Arts and perhaps not even Potions, although we know that Hermione is quite capable of performing well in that class. Their intelligence might be evenly balanced in a way, but to me Voldemort's(Tom's) intelligence reaches more towards the Dark Arts and Hermione's towards anything other than the Dark Arts or what may be considered the Dark Arts.

[CoeurDeLyon]

I think hermione is a very knowledgeable, bright, clever, and wise witch. Unfortunately that doesn't say anything about talent. She may be able to perform spells in a classroom but that's a tad different from dueling with Voldy. Not to downplay her smarts and say she couldn't escape from Voldy and keep herself out of trouble. Shell be an amazing attribute to Harry trying to track down these horcruxes, but is she more talented than Voldy, I don't think so.

[Taure]

Hermione's good at learning stuff by rote then spewing it out, but she isn't very creative, nor does she seem to have a natural affinity or talent with magic.

Think of the potions lessons in HBP. Hermione would only follow the official instructions that were in the books, refusing to experiment or be creative, even when it is clear that there are other, better, ways. Nor is she able to come up with these better ways herself, showing her lack of "natural talent" with magic: she has good comprehension skills, and can easily replicate magic that she has read about, but she doesn't do anything new or different herself.

People vastly overestimate Hermione's skill. Just because she's the "best witch of her age" doesn't mean that shes all that great. Her age happens to be a decidedly mediocre one. Just compare her with past characters.

Snape: Making new spells and potions.

Tom Riddle: Making himself immortal, horcruxes, able to control his accidental magic.

The Mauraders: Becoming animagi without help, able to do non-verbal magic well before it is taught.

Albus Dumbledore: Doing things with a wand that examiners had never seen before.

Now look at Hermione: can quote large portions of books, can master most spells.

Notice the difference. All of the above "greats" (Snape, Riddle etc) do their great magic not through reading or copying other peoples work, but by doing it themselves. Sure, Hermione can read something, understand it, and then do it, but anyone who works hard with a half-decent mind can do this. What separates the great and the powerful from the average seems to be creativity.

Snape made up the potions himself, created the spells himself. He didn't find them in books and replicate the effects, he simply had a relationship with magic such that he just knew.

Riddle came up with the idea of 7 horcruxes, and was able to control his accidental magic. He didn't find these things in books, he did it by himself.

The Marauders had no help in becoming animagi, they had to figure out how to do it by themselves.

Dumbledore did loads of new things which he came up with himself.

Hermione shows no such creativity. She gets all her magic from books and teachers, meaning she'll never do something that hasn't been done by someone else first.

Hermione is just an above average witch with a good memory and good comprehension skills - nothing that can't be replicated by Harry with a bit of hard work.

I'd put Hermione on a level with someone like Lily Potter, not someone like Voldemort, possibly the most powerful and talented wizard that has ever lived. And to those saying that Voldemort is talented only at the Dark Arts, and in other areas of magic Hermione might be better, I ask you to look at the Dumbledore vs. Voldemort duel in the Ministry of magic.

Much of what Voldemort does is not Dark magic, but Transfiguration and Charms, and almost all of what Dumbledore did was Transfiguration and Charms, so the Dark Lord would have to have a knowledge of these things equal to Dumbledore to be able to counter them, which he did.