Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Arithmancy

Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Magic
Arithmancy
Type	Course
Features	Hermione takes it
First Appearance	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Overview

Arithmancy is a branch of magic involving the study of the magical properties of numbers. At Hogwarts, Arithmancy is taught by Professor Vector.

Extended Description

Arithmancy is an elective course at Hogwarts. Hermione takes Arithmancy starting in her third year, and continues taking it, apparently, until her sixth year. We are told that she signs up for everything at the beginning of her third year, drops Divination at Easter, and then drops Muggle Studies at the end of the year. On the first day of her third year, Hermione says she is learning much more in Arithmancy than in Divination.

In Arithmancy class, a student is expected to understand complicated number charts and write essays, which is also part of a student's homework. This would seem to make it ideal for Hermione.