Hermione is without a doubt the undisputed heroine of the Harry Potter series. The girl is someone who exists for the sole purpose of being paired with the hero and has little other significance. Hermione is his partner and he would never have gotten as far as he has without her assistance. Every other possible Harry love interest in the books could be considered "the girl" before Hermione could.

*claps*

Well said. Just... perfect. I don't have anything to add, but I wanted to make sure you knew I was grinning and nodding along as I read that.