I went to Dubai's textile souk to dress like my soul sister

Hermione made being nerdy cool and inspired girls and boys around the world

A friend lent me a copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (book three) when I was in the sixth grade and it changed my life. Even though I didn't read the books in chronological order, I was transfixed by the world J.K. Rowling created.As a 12-year-old, I felt I was with the trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, trying to save the world from Voldemort. Yes, I will say his name as Hermione rightly said, "fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."
Of course, Harry and Albus Dumbledore tend to be people's 'most inspiring characters', but for me, it has always been Hermione. From Princess Leia to Wonder Woman, there are amazing female role models in books and movies, but Hermione has always felt like a kindred spirit. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, she juggles extra subjects with the help of the Time Turner (a device used for time travel) and excels in all fields (Divination aside), stands up to her bully Malfoy with a punch, and (spoiler alert) saves the day by rescuing both Buckbeak and Sirius Black. You go, girl!
She has become a feminist symbol and the Internet abounds with one-liners such as, "When Voldemort is President, we need a nation of Hermiones", "Without Hermione, Harry would've died in book one," and "What Would Hermione Do?" a reference to her know-it-all nature.
Emma Watson, who plays the character, was quoted saying, "I was the girl in school whose hand shot up to answer the questions. I was really eager to learn in an uncool way. And then the character of Hermione gave me permission to be who I was." 
Hermione made being nerdy cool and inspired girls and boys around the world. She's been my best friend growing up. She has a strong sense of what is right and wrong but is also not afraid of bending the rules a little, whether it be brewing the Polyjuice potion or sneaking out of the school grounds - as long as it is in the pursuit of the truth.
After seeing a house-elf being treated poorly, she started the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (SPEW), a campaign for their fair treatment. Whenever she saw something was wrong with the world, her first instinct was to fix it rather than run away. 
Rowling said in an interview, "I know that Hermione is incredibly recognisable to a lot of readers and yet you don't see a lot of Hermiones in film or on TV except to be laughed at. I mean that the intense, clever, in some ways not terribly self-aware girl is rarely the heroine and I really wanted her to be the heroine." 
Hermione inspired me to excel academically. I started reading textbooks before the start of the academic year, spent a lot more time in the library, and tried to embrace her kind and independent spirit. I credit her for encouraging me to strive to get good grades in school and university and to finish my Master's degree at age 21. She taught me to unabashedly be myself no matter the curveballs life throws in my way.
Although she is portrayed as a tomboy, Hermione is a style icon for many girls like me who like to keep it simple. I have dressed up as her, in black robes with the bright red and yellow stripes of Gryffindor, at book launches, comic cons and movie premieres.
In fact, with my first stipend, I bought a hair curler and a bottle of hair mousse to try and get bushy and curly hair just like her. 
Even though it is easy to put on black robes and wave a pen like a wand, I decided to challenge myself this year for the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) and put together a cosplay outfit, hoping to make my girl Hermione proud.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, she wore a lilac dress for her dance at the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. I made a trip to the textile market in Bur Dubai in January and bought two yards of silk (Dh120) and two yards of chiffon in light and dark shades of lilac (Dh65). With help from friends, I have been trying to get the layers and ruffle sleeves right. As against the thousands people who are known to rack up for their cosplay outifts, I spent much less. I bought thread for Dh25, so my outfit came to around Dh200. Oh, and I got the earrings and the time turner from harrypottershop.com and the beaded bag from Amazon.
I plan to pair the dress with the golden Time Turner necklace featured in The Prisoner of Azkaban, floral studs similar to the ones she wears in the movie, and the beaded handbag from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Over the past three months, there have been evenings of measurements, fittings and stitching, all while I watch the movies yet again. It is my first attempt to create an outfit from scratch and hopefully, it will all come together on the big day. If you see me there in all my lilac glory, come say hi.
Deepa believes when in doubt, go to the library
deepa@khaleejtimes.com