Throw a stick in a crowded space and the chances are you'll hit dozens of Harry Potter fans.

Don't actually do that, obviously, but the point I'm trying to make is that there are basically loads of Potterheads out there, and you can count this writer among them. JK Rowling has had me confunded for nigh on 20 years now, and the spell shows no signs of loosening its grip.

So rich and intricately woven is the wizarding world of Harry Potter that, even after all these years, the full extent of JK Rowling's work is still being discovered by voracious readers.

As such, every now and then a fan theory will pop up that just fits so neatly and perfectly that it will capture the imaginations of thousands online and pique the interest of none other than Rowling herself.

Some are brilliant, even if not proven to be correct by Rowling herself, for example the wonderfully creative theory that Albus Dumbledore represents death in the Tale of the Three Brothers.

A personal favourite of mine would also be the theory that seeks to provide an explanation for why the Dursleys are such a miserable bunch of misanthropes. The theory posits that the reason behind their disgruntlement lies in the fact that Harry is, himself, a Horcrux, and - as we all know - Horcruxes have a negative effect on the mood of those nearby as time goes on. Since Harry spent eleven long years with the Dursleys before leaving for Hogwarts, there might be some explanation there for their cantankerous nature.

But I digress, because JK Rowling has just confirmed a rather neat little Harry Potter fan theory to be true, and it's fair to say that fans are delighted.

"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."

A brilliant, funny, entirely plausible theory, and, as it turns out, entirely correct, as Rowling herself confirmed, "Theory correct".

One user provided their own experience of learning how to pronounce Hermione: "I’m embarrassed it took three and a half books to learn that pronunciation. Like many others, I had never seen the name Hermione before in my life. Definitely pronounced it HER-ME-OWN in my head for far too long (until @jk_rowling gave it to us)". 

Another tweeter added that it wasn't until watching Oprah that she realised how to correctly pronounce the name;

"My 7 year old brain read it as Her-Me-Own!! It wasn’t until I watched a Oprah interview that I understood I was saying it wrong all along."

Another fan remarked that, thanks to Stephen Fry's wonderful audiobooks of the stories, they know how to pronounce the character names all along;

"I had @stephenfry's reading of the audiobooks for that, though now it means I get annoyed when the films pronounce spell incantations differently."

So there's the truth; JK Rowling gave as a subtle nudge in the right direction on how to pronounce Hermione's name, and poor unsuspecting Viktor Krum was her stooge for it.

Throw a stick in a crowded space and the chances are you'll hit dozens of Harry Potter fans.

Don't actually do that, obviously, but the point I'm trying to make is that there are basically loads of Potterheads out there, and you can count this writer among them. JK Rowling has had me confunded for nigh on 20 years now, and the spell shows no signs of loosening its grip.

So rich and intricately woven is the wizarding world of Harry Potter that, even after all these years, the full extent of JK Rowling's work is still being discovered by voracious readers.

As such, every now and then a fan theory will pop up that just fits so neatly and perfectly that it will capture the imaginations of thousands online and pique the interest of none other than Rowling herself.

Some are brilliant, even if not proven to be correct by Rowling herself, for example the wonderfully creative theory that Albus Dumbledore represents death in the Tale of the Three Brothers.

A personal favourite of mine would also be the theory that seeks to provide an explanation for why the Dursleys are such a miserable bunch of misanthropes. The theory posits that the reason behind their disgruntlement lies in the fact that Harry is, himself, a Horcrux, and - as we all know - Horcruxes have a negative effect on the mood of those nearby as time goes on. Since Harry spent eleven long years with the Dursleys before leaving for Hogwarts, there might be some explanation there for their cantankerous nature.

But I digress, because JK Rowling has just confirmed a rather neat little Harry Potter fan theory to be true, and it's fair to say that fans are delighted.

"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."

A brilliant, funny, entirely plausible theory, and, as it turns out, entirely correct, as Rowling herself confirmed, "Theory correct".

One user provided their own experience of learning how to pronounce Hermione: "I’m embarrassed it took three and a half books to learn that pronunciation. Like many others, I had never seen the name Hermione before in my life. Definitely pronounced it HER-ME-OWN in my head for far too long (until @jk_rowling gave it to us)". 

Another tweeter added that it wasn't until watching Oprah that she realised how to correctly pronounce the name;

"My 7 year old brain read it as Her-Me-Own!! It wasn’t until I watched a Oprah interview that I understood I was saying it wrong all along."

Another fan remarked that, thanks to Stephen Fry's wonderful audiobooks of the stories, they know how to pronounce the character names all along;

"I had @stephenfry's reading of the audiobooks for that, though now it means I get annoyed when the films pronounce spell incantations differently."

So there's the truth; JK Rowling gave as a subtle nudge in the right direction on how to pronounce Hermione's name, and poor unsuspecting Viktor Krum was her stooge for it.