Harry Potter Books Wiki

Wizarding World (formerly Pottermore) is an official website, a fantasy media franchise and shared fictional universe centred on the Harry Potter book series. Created by J. K. Rowling, the website has both commerical and literacy content relating to the franchise including New Writing by J.K. Rowling. Fan can also build a profile with features including a sorting into their Hogwarts house, discovering their Patronus and choosing their favourite things about the wizarding world.

History[]

Pottermore years[]

Announcement[]

On 15 June 2011, fans of Harry Potter were given a challenge to use coordinates to find ten Harry Potter fan sites. They then had to piece together a word go reveal J. K. Rowling's annoucement. When the letters, E-T-O-T-O-P-E-R-R-M, were revealed, they were taken to Pottermore.com with a "coming soon" message and Rowling's signature. An official Twitter account was also created and a new YouTube account with a countdown informing readers that the official unveiling of Pottermore's nature would be on 23 June 2011.

A representative of Rowling gave a short statement about the website to clarify that "All we can say is that Pottermore is the name of J.K. Rowling's new project. It will be announced soon, and it is not a new book." Some fan sites reportedly had access to a sneak preview of Pottermore though they did not reveal any details because they had taken "an unbreakable vow concerning its secrecy but did share that it was "breathtaking in scope, detail, and sheer beauty".

On 23 June, Rowling announced that "Pottermore will be the place where fans of any age can share, participate in, and rediscover the stories. It will also be the exclusive place to purchase digital audio books and, for the first time, e-books of the Harry Potter series."

Magical Quill Challenge[]

On 31 July until the 6 August 2011, Pottermore held the Magical Quill Challenge with the tag-line "7 books, 7 days, 7 chances". Every day, fans had a chance to try and to solve a new clue on the main site and then type it on the end of another URL. They then had to find the correct quill on the page which would give them early access to Pottermore. Whenthey located the Quill, fans were taken to a registration page for Pottermore.

After receiving a validation link, users had to click it within 48 hours. One million fans were given access with about 143,000 getting through each day. When each day's quota was filled, the clue was removed and replaced with a message indicating that registration had closed. Each day's clue corresponded to a different book, with the first clue relating to the first book and so on. The first three clues were more difficult than the other four.

# Date Book for clue Clue Answer Notes
Day 1 31 July Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone How many breeds of owls were featured on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign? Multiply this number by 49. 245, as there are 5 owl breeds. Redirected to Sony USA's website where a maroon screen read 'Your journey begins here'. When clicked on, the screen filled with floating feathers but only one was the Magic Quill. It had an aura of luminous blue around it, and clicking on it would take you to the registration site.
Day Two 1 August Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets What is the number of the chapter in which Professor McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? Multiply this number by 42. 588, this happens in Chapter 14. Typing in the correct URL would redirect the page to Warner Bros. official website. In a gallery for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two film, the user had to click a photo of the Magic Quill on a pink background.
Day Three 2 August Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban In the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, in Harry's third year, how many points was Gryffindor leading by before Harry catches the Golden Snitch? Multiply this number by 35. 2100; they led by 60 points. To the guardian.co.uk, to an article about Pottermore. Usually where the calendar is, the Magic Quill box filled its space. Quickly clickin from side to side levitated the quill. After levitating the Magic Quill, a "Congratulations" appeared, with the ad box slowly loading a "Now begin your journey" link.
Day Four 3 August Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire How many students take part in the Triwizard Tournament during Harry's fourth year? Multiply this number by 28. 112, because 4 students took part in the Triwizard Tournament. To the "Congratulations! You have found The Magical Quill" page on pottermore.com to register.
Day Five 4 August Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix What is the house number of the Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix in Grimmauld Place? Multiply this number by 21. 252, the Headquarters was number 12, Grimmauld Place.[10] Redirected to Scholastic's Harry Potter page. At the top, there was a banner ad for Pottermore. The magical quill had an aura of luminous blue around it in floating feathers.
Day Six 5 August Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince How many chapters are there in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Multiply this number by 14. 420, there are 30 chapters. To Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter website. The Magic Quill had an aura of luminous blue around it.
Day Seven 6 August Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows How many Deathly Hallows are there? Multiply this number by 7. 21, there are 3 Deathly Hallows. To Warner Brothers' Parseltongue Translator. The right Magic Quill was hidden in a selection of quills in an ad space.

Beta period[]

Fans that did not get through could sign up for the email list on the homepage. On 10 August, users began receiving emails confirming that they have been selected for early entry for Pottermore. By the 28 September, the final beta-tester welcome emails had finally been sent out.

First launch[]

The site was supposed to open for everyone in October 2011, though this opening date was delayed to improve the site by extending the beta period. On 8 March 2012, a new release date was announced of early April with a different platform setup. On 27 March, the Pottermore Shop was open with the priority to open Pottermore to more people and provide a good experience. The shop features eBooks and digitial audiobooks.

On 1 April, a sneak peek video was shown on Pottermore's homepage and Youtube. On 14 April, Pottermore ended the Beta period and opened the sign up for everyone. In April 2014, Sony cancelled their partnership with Pottermore and site continued to run independently shortly after the release of the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban chapters.

Relaunch[]

On 14 April 2015, Pottermore announced they were entering a "new phase of development" after deciding that some of its features were "no longer properly serving the interests of our users". Features disappeared off the site including the ability to create an account. On 22 September 2015, Pottermore was relaunched with a new design in the style of a blog. The site provided more open exploration of the content and a new Writing by J. K. Rowling feature.

Rowling introduced a new wizarding school through the writing feature, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in anticipation of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film release. Users could now recreate an account to take the Hogwarts and Ilvermorny sorting quizzes and receive a wand. On 22 September 2016, the site unveiled a new test for registered members to take to find out their Patronus Charm which they had added to their personal profile. Rowling created a new quiz with several questions accompanied by graphics and sound. It has a wide range of possible patronus animals.

In May 2017, Pottermore announced they would open a Wizarding World Book Club in June. This was to celebrate twenty years since the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with fans taking part being encouraged to read a Harry Potter book together each month and debate a theme online. On 12 March 2018, Pottermore unveiled a new look incorporating a new Wizarding World logo.

Wizarding World[]

Rebranding[]

In 2019, the site was rebranded Wizarding World.

Features[]

Pottermore features[]

Rowling originally worked in collaboration with Sony to create interactive features such as games and a journey where the user goes through every chapter in every book, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Users could also get sorted into their Hogwarts house with questions written by Rowling herself, and obtain a wand at Ollivanders.

Chapters[]

Chapters were illustrations of key Moments in Harry Potter's story that happen within that chapter with a quote from the book. These were explored using the Story Navigator. After finding and clicking on the right part of the illustration, like a character or creature, the user could receive new writing by Rowling or collect something like a Chocolate Frog Card or Galleon or house points.

At first, users could fully explore only the first book, with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and their chapters being released in stages. On 25 January 2014, the creative director of Pottermore, Tom Hodgson, appeared at the "A Celebration of Harry Potter" convention in Orlando, where he revealed artwork for the next selection of chapters in Goblet of Fire. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were released shortly after, with the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, being released in full on 23 June 2015.

Potion-brewing[]

In addition to chapters, users could brew potions. They purchased three different cauldrons, pewter, brass and copper (which had different brewing times) and potion ingredients using Galleons in Diagon Alley. If they added the wrong amount of an ingredient, failed to keep the temparature within the given range, crushed the ingredients too finely or not enough, or left it too brew for too long which caused the cauldron to explode, the potion failed. If they did everything properly, they were rewarded with house points.

To brew a potion, users had to buy potion books with Galleons earned in-game. These books had the recipes for eleven different types of potions that the user could brew. With the book, Magical Drafts and Potions, they could brew: Antidote to Common Poisons, Cure for Boils, Forgetfulness Potion, Herbicide, Sleeping Draught, Swelling Solution and the Awakening Potion. The second book, Moste Potente Potions had the recipe for the Polyjuice Potion which had to be made in two parts. In the Book of Potions, there were three potions also made in two parts each. These were Doxycide, the Shrinking Solution and the Beautification Potion.

Duelling[]

Users could also learn spells and take part in Wizard Duelling against each other in the Duelling Club. After being given an opponent, the user had to choose a spell to cast on them. They then trace the spell sign. The winner was decided by the rating given to their spell casting. Users could practise against others in the same house which yielded no rewards. However, if they challenge those in other houses, the winner received five points for their house towards the House Cup.

Spells[]

In order to duel in the Duelling Club, users had to practise spells. To learn them, they had to buy spellbooks with their Galleons or collect them in Moments during chapters. The books and their spells were:

House Cup[]

Shortly after the launch of Pottermore in July 2012 until the redesign in September 2015, users could take part in the House Championship. They gained house points by duelling, brewing potions or collecting them in chapter Moments. There were eight championships which took place sporadically over this period of time. Users could keep track of how many house points each house had gained thus far on a special page with four banners. These banners also displayed the top four users in each house who had been rewarded with the most points.

The winners of the House Cup in order were: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff. The winning house was rewarded with a special prize. These included early access to the next set of chapters, download artwork for their house, a Pottermore badge or an image of famous characters in their house.

Wizarding World features[]

J. K. Rowling Originals[]

During the first launch of Pottermore, new information could be discovered in Chapter Moments. After the redesign, these were put in an open new feature called New Writing By J. K. Rowling. Further writing was later released through the feature. After the launch of Wizarding World, the feature was renamed to J. K. Rowling Originals. The new writing released thus far are:

Notes and sources[]