Harry Potter — Pottermore

Ok, over the past few years I have to admit I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the books and watching the subsequent movies of Harry Potter. I also must admit I have rewatched and rewatched these movies over and over until I quite literally can quote the entire series!

And now the one thing we have been waiting for! Pottermore Universe has finally opened its gates to us! So far I have just explored a few chapters and was thrilled to see that J.K. Rowling as added special tidbits for us to enjoy! I’ve already found lots of extra information and plan to read the books again while going through this amazing content!

Though Rowling’s video was short on details, The Guardian has them in spades. In a press release from Rowling, we’ve learned that she will be revealing 18,000 new words (about the size of a novella) all related to the Potter universe. She has backstory on secondary characters, such as Professor McGonagall’s relationships as a young woman or how the Dursley’s met, as well as lore about the world itself, like more history of each house at Hogwarts and details about wand wood. According to Twitter user @Leaky (from The Leaky Cauldron), users will be sorted into one of the four houses and obtain one of 33,000 possible wands. If you’re not sorted into Gryffindor, you’ll get even more exclusive content about your house. For the initial launch, Pottermore will be restricted to the first book with additional books being added over time. — Collider.com

I have to say, after reading some of this content it truly is amazing to see the back stories that she has for all of the characters that we fell in love (or hate whatever the case may be) with. Even though the Dursley’s were never my favorite couple, it is quite remarkable how the story unfolds even more with these new tidbits. Some of them smaller than others but all deliciously wonderful to read!

“I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new generation. I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have. Just as I have contributed to the website, everyone else will be able to join in by submitting their own comments, drawings and other content in a safe and friendly environment. Pottermore has been designed as a place to share the stories with your friends as you journey through the site.” — J.K. Rowling

Fans of Harry Potter, you will love this! It’s not only for kids. It really is interesting and quite fun!

Starting with the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Pottermore will allow its users to navigate their way through the story, with all-new illustrations and interactive “moments”. Users start out by choosing a magical username, and as they move through the chapters of the book they will be sorted into houses – Rowling herself has written a “vast pool” of questions to direct users to their correct home – choose wands, shop on Diagon Alley and experience life at Hogwarts, just like Harry. Points can be won for houses by casting spells and mixing potions, users will be able to comment and add their own drawings and content – and Rowling herself will be dropping in “as a normal punter” now and then.

“If you are not sorted into Gryffindor, if you go into one of the other three houses, you will effectively get an extra quarter of a chapter. You will go off into your own common room, meet your own prefect, and find out what the true nature of the house is. In the main novel you only see the houses through the eyes of the heroes. So it’s not a terrible thing to be in Slytherin,” said the author, who admitted it was “a little frightening” how easily she slipped back into writing about Potter. “It’s exactly like an ex-boyfriend … I’ve never cried for a man as I cried for Harry Potter. Now we’re casually dating and we have been for two years.” — Guardian

I was very excited to get my wand, Redwood with Unicorn hair 13 3/4″ Hard. I then proceeded to look up what exactly that meant. Fortunately the Pottermore Universe has that information as well located in Also in this Chapter and Objects. I was able to see what the wand, wand core and the flexibility meant.

Moving on in the story, I travel with Harry Potter to Hogwarts where of course we all meet up with the Sorting Hat. Probably the most fun and the most terrifying experience a student can have. I have to admit, I came up with Slytherin which didn’t make me too happy at first but then I realized Professor Snape, one of my favorite professors, is also a Slytherin and to walk in his footsteps (although not exactly!) would be an honor! So, I remain a Slytherin and will continue on my journey as I hope you will find yours also.

“Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness”

It’s a fun place to explore and a great reminder of why we fell in love with the books and these fabulous characters! And if you’d like to add me as a friend I’m MahoganyIce10246. See you in there!

Back in March of this year J.K. Rowling launched her Harry Potter books in e-book format, and in just a few days generated over $1.5 million in sales. Due to the same interest in the new Pottermore site, you will need to register and then wait to receive an invitation, that are being sent out in waves, allowing you to explore the site. — Geeky-gadgets.com