Interesting throwaway on Hermione at JKR's updated site (dragon's blood)

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 149375

SSSusan:
> "...and Hermione Granger (cleverest girl in the year and the only
> person in the class to know all the uses of dragon's blood)."

PJ responded:
> I didn't expect only Dumbledore to know the 12 uses because, like 
> any other invention, it needs to be known by many people who can 
> put those discoveries to good use.  Otherwise what's the sense of 
> spending all that time working on the problem?  And Dumbledore 
> likes people to know just how smart he is.   
>    :)

SSSusan:
Oh, yes, I didn't mean to imply that I meant literally *no* one 
besides DD knew them.  I figured since that bit was on the back of 
his wizard card, he was well known for having discovered the 12 
uses.  Thus, I assumed many adult wizards did know about them from 
reading/study.

What I didn't realize was that any of the kids among "our" main 
characters also knew all 12.  They've been mentioned enough in the 
series -- dragon blood has been mentioned enough in the series -- 
that I've always thought it would be coming back in somehow, some 
way.  But I guess in my mind I envisioned Hermione *discovering* the 
full list at some opportune moment which -- since she's not said 
anything about it yet that I can recall -- I recently assumed would 
be in Book 7.  

Now that I find she's known the 12 uses all along, well, that kinda 
shoots that theory out the window.


PJ: 
> What surprised me was that it didn't say the only *student* in the 
> class to know, but the only *person*.  Is this said differently in 
> the UK than in the US or does this mean teachers as well as 
> students?  If so, I wonder who's class she was in and how many 
> teachers are still ignorant of the uses?

SSSusan:
PJ, I think you're assuming "class" to mean "classroom" or one 
specific subject.  I took "class" to mean their *year.*  That is, 
since the synopsis was of PS/SS, I think JKR meant that Hermione was 
the only person in Harry's year -- among the 1st years -- who knew 
them all.

Siriusly Snapey Susan, who didn't even type her name correctly in her 
last post. :-|