Hermione isn't so sure she agrees about shoes being worse than walking barefoot in the elements, but she'll take Sam's word for it. After all, their physiology might just be different enough that he has fewer nerve endings in the soles of his feet than she does, and if his people are used to not wearing shoes, surely the skin there must have developed into something tougher. So she lets that pass for now, trying not to frown as Sam tries to insist that he and his have never wanted to be important.

"Sometimes being important or heroic isn't something you choose, though. If someone you care about was hurt, wouldn't you do what you can to save them? That would make you important to them, and a hero. It's not always about saving the world. And even if it is, it's not always about letting other people know you've saved it." After all, it's not like the average Muggle on the street would know that Hermione is a large reason they're still alive and well; she'd be just another girl to them, and she rather prefers that over the awe with which some of her classmates at Hogwarts regard her.