J.K. Rowling once confirmed a Harry Potter fan theory on social media, thus putting an end to a raging 18-year debate.
We can bet that when Joanne Kathleen Rowling, now 58, initially concocted the plot of Harry Potter in 1990, she never thought it would grow into the beloved global franchise it is today.
Harry Potter chronicles the life of the titular character - an orphaned wizard who makes friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley upon attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hermione - described as one of the brightest witches of her age - is a student with non-magical parents, known for being a ‘very logical, upright and good character’.
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While the roots of the character’s name derive from Greek mythology, Rowling never actually advised readers on how to pronounce the character’s name until the fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
In the 2000-published novel, Hermione is forced to school her love interest Viktor Krum on how to say her name.
The original quote from Goblet of Fire reads in full:
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“Hermione was now teaching Krum to say her name properly; he kept calling her ‘Hermy-own.’
“Her – my – oh – nee,” she said, slowly and clearly.
“Herm – own – ninny.”
“Close enough,” she said, catching Harry’s eye and grinning.
Fans initially believed Rowling had included this moment to teach Harry Potter readers how to correctly say Hermione’s name.
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Back in 2018, a Twitter user who goes by the name Atulaa took to the micro-blogging platform and reached out to Rowling regarding this theory.
They wrote: “Theory: @jk_rowling included that passage on how to pronounce Hermione’s name in Goblet of Fire just to school all of us who were saying HER-MY-OWN like Victor Krum.”
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The author herself later quoted this fan’s post and confirmed that the theory was correct.
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Following the verification, fans came out in their droves to debate whether or not they’d been pronouncing the witch’s name wrong all this time.
One user typed: “Sorry for saying ‘Harmony’ to be fair, I was 8…”
A second said: “Was never an issue for me... parents brought me up on classic movies like #MaryPoppins with the stupendous Hermione Baddeley as the maid Ellen!”
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“I've always sympathized with Hermione,” claimed another user. “My full first name is Ceridwen (Welsh) and nobody ever gets it right.”
Someone else penned: “And yet I still couldn’t figure it out until the first movie. I recall sitting in the theater and a collective ‘ooohhh’ going through the audience. We Americans are no good with British names I suppose.”
“I will forever be grateful for the pronunciation guide, “ wrote a fifth.
If you too have been pronouncing Hermione Granger’s name wrong all these years then hey - at least you know now!
Topics: JK Rowling, Harry Potter, Books, TV And Film, Entertainment, Emma Watson
Ella Scott