What Happened to Hermione Granger's Parents? - Harry Potter Explained

Hey everyone! Welcome to another episode of Harry Potter Theory.

Near the beginning of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (pt1), the Wizarding World was in turmoil. The imminent threat of Voldemort and the Deatheaters meant that not only witches and wizards were in danger, but muggles too. Knowing that the danger would eventually stretch beyond the confines of the wizarding world, Hermione granger knew that she would have to make a difficult choice. Hermione was a prominent figure in the fight against Voldemort, and this made her a target- and by extension, her family as well. And when things really started to get out of hand, she was struck with the crushing realization that everything going on would effect her parents.

This prompted her to take action, action which was very differently represented by the books and films. Effectively, what Hermione needed to do was erase her parents memories. This would disassociate them from her, and possibly save their lives, as they couldn’t possibly reveal information about someone that they had never met. For dramatic effect, the film really put a lot of focus on this scene, while the book only sort of mentioned it in passing. In the book, Hermione says to Harry:

“I’ve also modified my parents’ memories so that they’re convinced they’re really called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life’s ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done. That’s to make it more difficult for Voldemort to track them down and interrogate them about me — or you, because unfortunately, I’ve told them quite a bit about you. ”

Hermione’s actions prompted the new couple, deemed ‘Monica’ and ‘Wendell’ Wilkins, to act on their ambition to move- packing up their belongings and heading straight for Australia. This also happened just in the knick of time, as the home of Hermione’s parents was visited by death eater Corban Yaxley shortly after they had left. Had he been successful in finding them, then I’m sure that the death eaters would have been able to very successfully leverage the lives of Hermione’s parents- so it’s good that she took action when she did.

As we can see from what Hermione says to Harry, she doesn’t seem to mention a particular spell that she used, or indicate that this is an irreversible process. It’s obviously sad, and she doesn’t want to do it, but it doesn’t seem like she’s done something that can’t be undone.

In the film however, it’s really quite a dramatic scene. It’s dark, dull, dreary, and devoid of happiness.

Hermione’s mum calls her for tea, and when Hermione wanders in to her parents living room, she quietly utters the words ‘Obliviate’, pointing her wand at the back of their heads. This immediately begins to strip the room of anything pertaining to Hermione, as her image from the family photos fades away and she is effectively taken out of her parents memories.

This raises a couple of questions:

First of all, did Hermione ever fix her parents memories?

The answer to this question is YES, and it was actually mentioned in the books that she always had every intention of finding them and fixing their memories. After explaining to Harry that she stripped their memories, she follows up with this:

“Assuming I survive our hunt for the Horcruxes, I’ll find Mum and Dad and lift the enchantment. If I don’t — well, I think I’ve cast a good enough charm to keep them safe and happy. Wendell and Monica Wilkins don’t know that they’ve got a daughter, you see.”

JK Rowling also confirmed in a web chat that Hermione did in fact eventually restore her parents memories. She was asked the question: “Was Hermione able to find her parents and undo the memory damage?” to which she responded “Yes, she brought them home straight away.”

Okay, so we know that they got their memories back. Hooray. But this is also where it gets a bit hairy. The undefined spell that Hermione uses in the books is clearly described as something that you can undo, however, in the films she used Obliviate, which is irreversible.

Join this channel to get access to perks:

Please LIKE / SUBSCRIBE / SHARE to support the channel

Leave your video ideas down below!

Thanks!

All content falls under fair use: any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.

[Hello-cyer]

He's been making these videos for over an year now and his content still hasn't downgraded like a lot of youtubers when they run out of ideas. He always puts time and effort into each and every video... Respect to you dude.

[kaenachoo]

I never really understood why in the movies Hermione uses obliviate and erases her from her parents memory completely. It made more sense in the book where she just modified there memories and returned them after the war. 🤷🏻‍♂️⚡️

[dustyfob]

...and “obliviate” was already introduced in the films, so it was an easier transition without wasting additional film time explaining what this new charm is, which would’ve distracted from the film’s message.

[doppss]

a "what did kreacher see while taking the locket horcrux potion" video it would be really interesting

[Shred_The_Weapon]

I appreciated the way JK Rowling wrote Hermione‘s parents to be as understanding and accepting of her as Lilly’s parents had been accepting. Considering the way that Muggles that have encountered magical powers either in their midst or in their own families are depicted in the series as being prejudiced (I. e. the Riddles and the Dursleys), it is immensely rewarding each time they’re depicted as being open minded and open hearted.

The issue with Hermione‘s parents is not the only gaping hole from the seventh installment. Another is the absence of the Dursleys. Rowling has commented that Harry and Dudley were able to get along amicably after that war, but it isn’t to my knowledge mentioned what the neighbors had to say. What about Dudley’s friends?

[jarahfluxman]

I think them moving to Australia was a big part of it. The Death Eaters didn't interact with muggles at all, apart from torturing them. Given that Arthur Weasley, who was obsessed with muggles, was surprised at how the London underground worked I don't think wizards who wanted nothing to do with muggles would understand enough about aeroplanes or muggle emigration to track Hermione's parents to Australia.

[sage]

This channel is so consistent, it needs more recognition and subscribers. 💕💕

[yomommasofatthanoshadtosna]

I suppose Hermione went back to return their memories, after the battle of Hogwarts.

[KnightsRealm]

"Okay, so we know that they got their memories back. Hooray."
~Silas of Harry Potter Theory, August 2020.
Got quite a chuckle out of me.

[jameswest]

This has the be the best channel, the wizarding world has ever seen, thank you for making my covid-19 self isolation, easier sir.💯

[plasmakitten]

I think it has to be said that the movies never actually mention Obliviate being irreversible. We shouldn't take book canon as being relevant to events in the movies if said events don't happen in the books.

[ugolomb]

It's diffcult for me to ignore all the pesky Muggle complications involved in this. Altering her parents'memories wasn't enough. How did they manage to emigrate to Australia? What passport did they use, for instance? How could the Wilkins' start out their lives there? They would be penniless -- unless Hermione managed to transfer at least some of their wealth to their new Wilkins identity. And how would they earn a living? As dentists? But their licenses, like their passports, are under the Granger name! It's all a bit of a stretch...

[carlrood]

The problem is erasing THEIR memories doesn't eliminate the fact that they can be used against Hermione and force her to reveal information. The moving to Australia was a better option. SHE still knew they were her parents. The Death Eaters still knew they were her parents. All she did is erase the knowledge that they were in danger and unable to make any preparations or be on the lookout that someone might be searching for them.

However, their name change and move to Australia means a ton of documentation needs to be modified, which I doubt Hermione has access to.

[justicegraceful]

if i was going to For Sure die and I could make my mother forget I exist, i would. i could never willingly put her through that, I don't fear death, but I'm terrified of what she would feel because of that.

[debbiekerr]

Thank you for sharing this I have often wondered if Hermione 's parents ever got thier memories back. This video explains everything in great detail. I appreciate your taking the time to carefully explain what happened.

[psal]

This is one of the few things i liked better in the movies.. it really helped to give more weight to the conflict and Hermiones convictions for me.

[speculesgorgoth]

That part is so sad. That should be a sample in music. We would all do the same our family is worth everything.

[ede]

You won my Subscription with the sheer dedication. Keep it up!

[caritoh]

Can you make a explaining video for the whole Fideluis Charm and Secret keeper thing? I think there are so many gaps and confusion about the topic

[wrathblackfire]

The memory charm could be used for different purposes, depending on how strong the witch or wizard has become.