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    1. Culture

    JK Rowling just confirmed this Harry Potter theory about Hermione

    And we feel like we’ve been hit by a confundus charm!

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 19 September 2018 In News

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    And we feel like we’ve been hit by a confundus charm!

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may have come out over a decade ago, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve moved on from the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

    In fact, us millennials are probably still as hooked as we were when the series was actually still going.

    Too many of us own wands, chocolate frogs and clothes emblazoned with our Hogwarts House crest (we’re ALL Gryffindor, OK?) and we can all admit to having debated HP theories deep into the night.

    No one knows this more than Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who despite deserving a long break from Pygmy Puffs and Quidditch, has found herself bombarded with fan theories on Twitter since the books came to an end.

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    fantastic beasts and where to find them 2

    (Image credit: James McCauley/REX/Shutterstock)

    This week, the 53-year-old novelist took to her Twitter account to confirm a fan’s theory, and it’s all about our favourite leading lady, Hermione.

    More specifically, it’s all about the pronunciation of ‘Hermione’, which if we’re honest, a lot of us got wrong to start with.

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    Hermione big front teeth

    Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
    (Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))

    The theory in question that was spreading the internet suggested that Rowling had included a conversation between Hermione and Viktor Krum where she spelt out her name phonetically, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in order for the author to let HP readers know how they should pronounce the protagonist’s name.

    This was of course before any of the films had come out, so the author had to take measures into her own hands.

    ‘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 Viktor Krum,’ one Harry Potter fan (@atulaak) posted to her Twitter account.

    JK Rowling’s response? 'Theory correct.’

    Minds blown.

    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
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    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

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