Pottermore Opens After October

When the Pottermore was first announced, the site was to be opened to the public some time in October. Now, according to the Pottermore Insider blog:

"From the end of October, registration will be opened to everyone and we’ll be giving access to registered users in phases. Access may be granted quickly, but please note it could also take some weeks or months, depending on demand."¹

I am one of the site's beta testers, but once the site is open to everyone, I will post more content to this blog, as well as my opinions of Pottermore.

E-Books Launch Delayed Until 2012

On Friday, the creators of Pottermore, a Harry Potter website, said that the e-book store has been pushed back until next year, the Associated Press reports. E-book versions of Harry Potter were set to go on sale in October through Pottermore.

Read the rest of the article from THR.

I'm In Hufflepuff

Hufflepuffs are trustworthy and loyal. We’ve produced the fewest Dark wizards of any house in this school. Hufflepuff is the friendliest, most decent and most tenacious house of them all.

My Wand

Length: 10 3/4 in
Wood: Hawthorn
Core: Unicorn
Flexibility: Surprisingly Swishy

From the notes of Mr. Garrick Ollivander:
"Hawthorn wands may be particularly suited to healing magic, but they are also adept at curses, and I have generally observed that the hawthorn wand seems most at home with a conflicted nature, or with a witch or wizard passing through a period of turmoil. Hawthorn is not easy to master, however, and I would only ever consider placing a hawthorn wand in the hands of a witch or wizard of proven talent, or the consequences might be dangerous."

"Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard."

There is a lot more notes on wand wood, cores, lengths, and history on the Ollivander family.

I'm In!!!

FINALLY!!! 32 days after completing the Magical Quill Challenge, I am in Pottermore!

I was able to go through the first four chapters in 'Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone', but once I got to chapter five 'Diagon Alley' section two 'Harry and Hagrid Visit Gringotts' I get the message:

"Be patient, this page will be unlocked very soon. Parts of the experience are locked so that the story is not spoiled for you."

Seriously? I read 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' 11 years ago. What's to spoil?

UPDATE:(after 24 hours of frustration)
Pottermore tip: When you get to Chapter 5, Moment 1 (Diagon Alley), zoom in once, and pick up your list. That will unlock the next moment.

Beta Testing Now Open

The Pottermore Insider blog has announced that Pottermore is starting to allow beta testers on the site.

We’re excited to announce that early access to Pottermore has begun, so if you’re one of the million people who found The Magical Quill and registered for early access, please read the rest of this Insider post carefully.

The most important thing to know is that we need to stagger entry to the ‘Beta’ (early) version of Pottermore so we can properly collect all the feedback. To begin with, we’ll be inviting a very small number of people onto the website, so you may not receive your Welcome email straight away.

We’ll be sending those Welcome emails out over the coming weeks and, once yours arrives, you’ll be able to log in and start helping us develop the Pottermore experience.

Read the rest of the post here.

It's been two weeks since I completed the Magical Quill Challenge! I'm just ready to use the site!!!

Teaser Email

I checked my email and saw a message from Pottermore with the subject "Congratulations!" I thought, "Yeah! It's finally here! I am going into Pottermore today!" But I should not have gotten my hopes up. It is still not the official welcome email yet. "We will activate your account between mid-August and the end of September, so keep checking your inbox for our Welcome email."

Sigh.

Rowling Interview

Magical Quill Challenge Ends

The Magical Quill Challenge has ended! This past week has been fun and challenging. The beta invites should be coming soon!

Magical Quill Challenge - Day 2

About 10 a.m. London time (4 a.m. for me) the second clue was posted.

What is the number of the chapter in which Professor McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? Multiply this number by 42.

This time I made sure to wake up to solve the clue. I did, with the help of The Harry Potter Lexicon. Once I calculated the answer, I added it to the end of http://quill.pottermore.com/ and was directed to the site where the quill would be hidden. It took me about 20 minutes, but I found it.

I entered my information, and now I am waiting for the verification email to come in.

Update: I activated my account. Now I have to wait for yet another email to tell me when I can use my account.

(The answer to today's clue is 588)

Pottermore Artwork

The Hogswarts Express

The artwork for all the moments in Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone for Pottermore have been posted online. View them here.

Magical Quill Challenge - Day 1

At about 9 a.m. in England (3 a.m. for me) the first Magical Quill Challenge clue was posted.

How many breeds of owl are featured on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign? Multiply this number by 49.

Answer: 245

I missed out on today's challenge because it was the middle of the night for me, and I was asleep. Hopefully tomorrow's challenge is timed for American fans!

7 books, 7 days, 7 chances

Those of you who would like the chance to gain early access to Pottermore must find The Magical Quill, and then submit your registration details. Each day, from 31 July to 6 August, a clue will be revealed here. Solve the clue and you will be taken to The Magical Quill. Be quick, The Magical Quill won’t be there for long and registration will only be open while spaces are still available each day.

Read more about how this will work here on the Pottermore website or here on this blog.

July 31 Pottermore Launch

It is now July 31 in England, which means 1,000,000 Harry Potter fans will get to be beta testers for Pottermore. According to the press release, on July 31, "an online challenge will be launched, whereby the first million people to complete their registration will gain early entry into the website, and help put final touches to the experience."

Unfortunately, "Due to overwhelming demand, you cannot access Pottermore right now. Please be patient whilst we try to connect you." And the site refreshes every 15 seconds.

Pottermore FAQs

The official Pottermore blog recently answered some frequently asked questions about Pottermore.

Photo: the Pottermore team's well-thumbed copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Potter fan sites from around the globe helped us with the Pottermore name reveal, and now those same fan sites have been kind enough to tell us what their readers most want to know about the Pottermore experience.

While we can’t give everything away (even though we know you’d like us to!), we’d really love to answer some of your questions …

Will Pottermore be free?
Yes, access to Pottermore will be completely free; you won’t have to pay anything to use the site. The Pottermore Shop will have items in it that you’ll be able to buy, but choosing to purchase something – or not – won't affect your progress through the story as the Shop sits outside of the online reading experience.

Can you please explain what you mean by 'online reading experience'? How much will I, as a Pottermore user, be able to affect the story? After all, hasn't Harry's story already been told?
The best way to think of Pottermore is as an interactive, illustrated companion to the books. J.K. Rowling wanted to create a site where her stories could live on and where readers could explore them in a new way. In addition to discovering new material from J.K. Rowling about Harry’s world, you’ll be able to interact with key story Moments (the Sorting Hat sequence, for example) and upload your own comments, thoughts and artwork for all the characters, objects and places that you come across.

Read the rest here.

JK Rowling Pottermore Announcement