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

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 149383

PJ wrote: 
> > 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. :-|
>
Carol responds:

I agree with SSS that "class" means year and includes the Ravenclaws
and Hufflepuffs as well as the Gryffindors and Slytherins in Snape's
Potions class, which would have been the only one in which the subject
was likely to be raised considering that dragon blood is a potion
ingredient, not a spell or a magical plant. 

I can't conceive of Snape himself not knowing the twelve uses given
both his Potions expertise (*much* greater than that of any first
year, even a smart student like Hermione) and the identity of the
discoverer, his own headmaster. He seems (as of HBP) to have memorized
all the required texts, even outside his own areas of expertise (the
reference to "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6"), and he can make
difficult potions that other wizards can't. It would be completely out
of character for him not to know this particular piece of information.
(I'll bet it was on his Potions OWL.)

Possibly JKR intended to establish Hermione's reputation as a
Know-It-All in SS/PS by having her answer, or attempt to answer, this
question. I can't imagine her volunteering the information in Snape's
class: "Please, sir, I know the twelve uses of dragon's blood. May I
list them for you?" but possibly this question was included with the
ones on bezoars, the Draught of Living Death, and aconite in the first
draft of SS/PS. If so, JKR probably concluded that a list of twelve
uses of anything would be tedious, whether it was Snape or Hermione
who recited it and either eliminated the question or substituted, say,
the aconite question for it. (The bezoar and DLD questions have a
point; bezoars have already come into play in saving Ron's life in
HBP, and I suspect that the DLD will be important in Book 7, perhaps
in connection with Emmeline Vance. The aconite question seems merely
thrown in, or at least I have yet to see its significance.)

BTW, SSS, I'm not sure that you need to conclude that Hermione coming
to school knowing the Twelve Uses of dragon's blood is canon just
because it appears on the website. Anything in the early drafts,
notes, and synopses that doesn't appear in the books because it was
changed or eliminated (e.g., "Gary"/Dean as one of the people
wandering the hallway with HRH and Neville in SS/PS) is not canon
because it contradicts the books. JKR may simply have changed her mind
about Hermione already knowing this particular bit of information,
just as she did about having Mr. Granger witness the explosion of the
Potters' house. She thought of it, she wrote it down, but she didn't
include it in the final revision of the book; therefore, it isn't
canon. Either that or Draco's last name is really (ugh!) Spungen,
despite its being Malfoy in the books. 

It's also interesting but possibly not significant that McGonagall was
originally "Madam McGonagall," which alliterates nicely but sounds
less professional than "Professor McGonagall," not to mention that
"Madam M" puts her on terms of equality with Pince, Pomfrey, and Hooch
rather than with Snape and Flitwick, or even Quirrell and Binns.

Carol, who noticed SSS's typo but didn't take it Siruisly ;-)