True. Although I have noticed in the way I read that information introduced that early (first chapters are especially bad for this) will almost always be shelved away out of sight because I expect later developments to highlight what is important. Of course, that may be why Rowling always managed to fool me. Except with Snape
After that first time.




Well, Hermione's main characteristics apart from being a girl (obviously) is her bushy hair and her teeth. The teeth have been shrunk (and the boys don't seem to quite have taken that in yet), and the hair has been forced to conform. What remains, eyes and facial structure, are the aspects most liable to change due to make-up. And her posture is remarked on as out of the ordinary because of the absence of books.




Indeed. It is one of my favourite early drips of information.




True. But Karkaroff has been established as a (former) Death Eater already, so Snape's apparent intimacy with him reflects badly on him.




Hmm. Well, not really. I think one of her main themes is that birth is not a decisive factor in character. And all the half-giants we know (granted, a very small sample) are perfectly normal (to the extent that normal exists in this universe) people, despite their murderous parentage. The same goes for werewolves. Some use the infection as an excuse to be bad, but that is not down to their werewolfness (that is a word, dammit!), as demonstrated by Lupin.




Yes




Oh my god! I missed that. I cannot believe I missed that. Of course!



To be fair, that isn't entirely unjustified. Him having lived with the twins all these years. They are usually to blame.



Heh, yes. I must say, I cannot really see the point of putting bezoars in an antidote. If you have a bezoar at hand, surely the antidote is superfluous?