More than twenty years after the first 'Harry Potter' book was published J.K. Rowling is still sat behind her keyboard, answering fan questions on Twitter and proving or disproving various fan theories about the magical series. A recent tweet from a fan speculated a theory regarding the fourth book, 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', which was published in 2000, the year before the first film was released. This fan theorized that the passage in the novel, in which Hermione complains that her then-boyfriend, Viktor Krum, pronounced her name wrong, was actually the author's way of subtly clearing up confusion among her readers about how the name is supposed to be said.
Theory correct. https://t.co/Q46h56ljuU
? J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) 18 de septiembre de 2018
Rowling confirmed that this section was indeed a way to clarify her protagonists' name as many readers, pre-2001 film release, had the same apparent difficulty as Viktor Krum! In the passage referred to by the fan on Twitter, Hermione shares her frustration (or rather, it seems, Rowling's own frustration) ate being called Her-my-own, despite her insistence that it is Her-my-oh-nee. Viktor, however, continues to struggle with the pronunciation, so it is just as well that this teen romance was short lived!
Hermione Granger, infamous for her know-it-all way of correcting her friends' pronunciation, is perhaps related more closely to her author than we thought!
Other confusing names
For the four long years during which eager fans were reading the books before the beloved Harry, Ron and Hermione were brought to life on screen (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson), there was more than just one name leaving people in confusion. Voldemort also caused much debate, and Rowling only recently cleared up the confusion, saying that even the films got than one wrong! The evil wizard's name is apparently meant to be pronounced as if it were French, with a silent T, as Vol-de-more.
With the latest spin off of the 'Harry Potter' franchise, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', fans won't have the same problem, as many of these characters are making the leap straight to the silver screen. The next installment in the trilogy, 'Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindlewald', comes to cinemas on November 16th, alongside an audiobook detailing behind the scenes information, which will be released on the same day on audible.com.
