J.K. Rowling might have sneakily revealed something huge about Hermione

Expecto Patronum! When wizards need to protect themselves from evil, they utter these magical words and their Patronus appears. For the most part, a wizard’s Patronus has sentimental value, or is telling of their personality. Harry’s is a stag, just like his father’s. Ron’s is a Jack Russell terrier, a loyal friend. But Hermione’s is… an otter?

Don’t get us wrong — otters are freaking adorable. But we never quite understood why her Patronus was a cute, wiggly creature. That is, until J.K. Rowling began revealing her love of the animal.

Two years ago, she claimed that her ideal job after writing would be otter weigher.

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Then, yesterday, she tweeted about her love for otters yet again.

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Could that explain Hermione’s Patronus? Maybe those tweets were just a coincidence. Still, Rowling has said in the past that Hermione is the character she identifies with the most.

“I have often said that Hermione is a bit like me when I was younger,” the author once wrote on her website. “I think I was seen by other people as a right little know-it-all, but I hope that it is clear that underneath Hermione’s swottiness there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure (as shown by her Boggart in Prisoner of Azkaban).”

Rowling hasn’t come right out and said it per se, but we’re going to conclude that the reason Hermione’s Patronus is an otter is because it’s the author’s favorite animal.