Wizarding World (website)

"I'm thrilled to say I'm now in a position to give you something unique. An online reading experience unlike any other. It's called Pottermore. It's the same story but a few crucial additions; the most important one is you."

- J. K. Rowling's announcement on 23 June, 2011.

Pottermore is an official Harry Potter website that was opened to the general public at April 2012. It is a joint venture of J.K. Rowling and Sony, and will offer an experience focusing on the reading of the Harry Potter series, with interactive features, new information from Rowling's extensive collection of notes (over 18,000 words), and e-book editions of the books available for purchase for the first time. Rowling has also discussed a new addition to the Harry Potter series. One million people received a chance to preview the site before its general launch in early April 2012. It was opened for the public April 14, 2012.

Announcement and Unveiling


As a teaser for what was then a mystery announcement, a challenge was set up on 15 June, 2011. Fans had to use coordinates revealed among ten Harry Potter fan sites to piece together a word that would be the subject of her announcement. A while after all the letters (E-T-O-T-O-P-E-R-R-M) were revealed, Pottermore.com was launched with a "coming soon" message and Rowling's signature. An official Twitter account was also created. By the next day, a new YouTube account titled "J. K. Rowling Announces" was revealed to show a countdown which noted the official unveiling of Pottermore's nature was take to place on 23 June, 2011.

Initially, fans were told only that Pottermore was not another book. A representative of Rowling told The Guardian on 16 June, 2011, "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." Many fans guessed it was either an online game, a new fan site, or a digital encyclopedia. But all of those guesses were correct.

Some fan sites reportedly had access to a sneak preview of Pottermore and, while telling they had made "an unbreakable vow concerning its secrecy", they reported it is "breathtaking in scope, detail and sheer beauty" and "perfect".

On 23 June, J. K. Rowling made an announcement via her YouTube account to inform fans of the nature of the website: "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." Rowling also said that Pottermore would be open for everyone from October, 2011, though this opening date was later delayed. It was later announced that Pottermore would be open for everyone in early April, 2012 On 1 April, 2012 a sneak peek video was shown on Pottermore's homepage and Youtube.

J.K. Rowling's announcement on YouTube
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Beta testers
Between 31 July and 6 August, there was a Magical Quill challenge, a competition in which fans had to solve a clue revealed on the main site, add the answer to the end of a special web address (http://quill.pottermore.com), and then locate the Quill on the site they are taken to. Once locating the Quill, fans were taken to a registration page for Pottermore. Approximately 1 million fans were given access through this promotion (about 143,000 a day). After each day's quota was filled, the clue was removed and replaced with a message indicating that registration had closed. Those who managed to find the Magical Quill and register received an email with a validation link that they must follow within 48 hours. Upon clicking the validation link, they became eligible for early access to Pottermore. Those granted early access eventually received a welcome email that allowed them to access Pottermore. Not all early testers received this email at the same time.

The Magical Quill challenge was open for seven days, from 31 July to 6 August, hence the tag-line "7 books, 7 days, 7 chances," but closed as soon as each day's spots were filled. Each day, a new clue was revealed on the main page. Each day's clue corresponded to a different book (e.g. day 1's clue relates to book 1, day 2's clue relates to book 2, and so on). The first three clues were more difficult than the last four.

Access to Pottermore for the early testers chosen was not instantaneous. Due to the number of people seeking to register, fans may have had to wait several weeks before receiving the welcome email allowing them such access.

When all the early entry places were filled, the Magic Quill links were withdrawn. Fans were still able to join the email list on the homepage, but were not able to fully register or enter until Pottermore opened to all in April 2012.

On 8 August, the ability to login to Pottermore was removed. Even those who registered during the promotion (and had been logged in previously with 'keep me logged in') were logged out. On 10 August, users began receiving emails confirming that they have been selected for early entry for Pottermore. The activation time was mid-August til late September.

On 15 August, the ability to login to Pottermore was available once again and the beta period began for users who had received their welcome emails that day.

On 26 August for 5 hours, Wizard Dueling was available.

On 28 September, the site was unavailable for updating, and it was also revealed on the Pottermore Insider that all of the one million beta-tester welcome emails have finally been sent out.

On 5 of November, the site was still in beta mode, and the ability to log in was complete, but usernames and passwords were limited and registration was closed.

On 13 December, Wizard Dueling was once again available.

Universal Opening
Everyone, including those who missed the early registration period and/or were not picked as Beta testers, are now able to register. Registration will not give immediate access. Instead, those who register will be sent an e-mail when their account is enabled, based on order of registration and demand. The Pottermore Shop, featuring eBooks and digital audiobooks, opened 27 March, 2012, based on the first priority of "opening Pottermore to as many people as possible and making the experience as good as it can be." Originally it was announced that general registration would be opened to the public sometime around the end of October. On October 28, 2011, an announcement was made that the beta period was to be extended "so that we can make Pottermore the best experience it can be before it opens to everyone." No new date for general registration was announced for several months, only that "...we will open registration as soon as we can." However, on 8 March 2012, a release date of early April was announced, as well as an announcement that the site would be moving to "an entirely different platform setup" as an explanation of the extended beta period. On 14th April 2012, Pottermore ended the Beta period and was opened to all users for sign up! All pages, however, still display a "beta" link which all registered members can use to report problems they are experiencing with the site.

Pottermore Insider
While the main interactive content of the site is only available to registered/confirmed members, the Pottermore Insider is available to all visitors. This feature provides the latest updates on news related to the site, including technical issues. It also featured a behind-the-scenes look at the design process for the Pottermore House crests. Since November 2011, it has featured selected artwork from fans regarding the subjects of the Harry Potter books, beginning with the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and continuing in sequence.

Pottermore Shop
Pottermore Shop is one of several features of Pottermore. It has been launched on 27 March 2012. This is the only place, where Harry Potter e-book and digital audio books are available to purchase. As such, Pottermore has established certain prices for particular:

E-books:
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - £4.99
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - £4.99
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - £4.99
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - £6.99
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - £6.99
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -£6.99
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - £6.99

While purchasing all seven volumes (e-books) there is a discount (-10%), and final price is £38.64.

Digital audio books:
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - £17.99
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - £17.99
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - £17.99
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - £32.99
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - £32.99
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - £32.99
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - £32.99

All seven volumes - £167.34 (with 10% discount). Pottermore Shop eBooks are provided in EPUB format - the world's most popular and open eBook standard - and are compatible with the vast majority of computers and devices. In addition, the Harry Potter eBooks are available in Amazon Kindle formats for use by Amazon Kindle devices and apps.

Payment
E-books and digital audio books can be bought from any country in the world. Certain editions are not available for sale in some countries, but there are always editions available to buy for oneself or as instant gifts in every country. Pottermore accept MasterCard, Visa, Carte Bleue, JCB (£ GBP at present), Maestro and Solo credit and debit cards at the Pottermore Shop. It is not accepted cheque or any other kind of payment at this time, although it will be added additional payment options in the future.

At present users can use £ GBP, € EUR and $ USD to buy eBooks and digital audio books from the Pottermore Shop.

Pottermore features
Users can move through the chapters and "follow" Harry Potter as well as collect items such as potion ingredients, books and Galleons, many of which earn them house points once they are sorted. Among other things, users are able to visit Diagon Alley, learn spells, duel other users and create potions. Students from different houses compete with each other for the House Cup by gaining house points mainly through dueling and potion-making.

Brewing potions
Pottermore gives users an opportunity to make their own potions in three different cauldrons (although only one can be used at a time) made of pewter, brass and copper, each making potions of increasing speed, with pewter the slowest and copper the fastest. Pewter cauldrons cost 15 Galleons, brass cauldrons cost 21 Galleons and copper cauldrons cost 25 Galleons. With ingredients bought in Diagon Alley, users can make six different potions, each of which rewards house points if completed, or does not if the potion fails. The potion can fail by adding the wrong amount of an ingredient, leaving it to brew for too long, not keeping the temperature within the range, crushing things too finely or not finely enough and causing the cauldron to explode.

The potions that can be made by users (in the first book) are following:
 * Antidote to Common Poisons
 * Cure for Boils
 * Forgetfulness Potion
 * Herbicide
 * Sleeping Draught
 * Wideye Potion

Spells
Users of Pottermore are allowed to practice spells and later use them against other members in Wizard Duelling. The currently available spells are situated in following spellbooks:
 * The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1
 * Fire-Making Spell
 * The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
 * Curse of the Bogies
 * Knockback Jinx
 * Curses and Counter-Curses
 * Full Body-Bind
 * Jelly-Legs Jinx
 * Leg-Locker Curse
 * Pimple Jinx
 * Stickfast Hex
 * Tickling Hex
 * Tongue-Tying Spell

Duelling
Pottermore gives beta tester an opportunity to purchase a wand in Diagon Alley, hence each member of Pottermore has the ability to duel with other users. Each user can choose a spell to use against their opponent, and the winner is determined based on the rating of the spell casting. Users can practise against members belonging to the same House as themselves, but can only challenge members of other houses. The winner receives five points for the house, while the loser receives zero points.

"Sneak Peek" Video
On 28 March, 2012 Pottermore inserted a video on its main page, showing a preview of the site's features, for users waiting for the public launch.

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The Seven Magical Quill clues
Below is a list of the riddles (a.k.a. "clues") involved in the Magical Quill promotion:


 * 1) The first riddle, based on PS undefined and unveiled 31 July at 9:00 am London time, was How many breeds of owls were featured on the Eeylops Owl Emporium sign? Multiply this number by 49. The answer is 245, as there are 5 owl breeds.
 * 2) The second riddle, based on  and unveiled 1 August at 10:00 am London time, was: What is the number of the chapter in which Professor McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? Multiply this number by 42. The answer is 588, as this happens in Chapter 14. Pottermore_Welcome_email.jpg
 * 3) The third riddle, based on  and unveiled 2 August at 11:00 am London time, was: 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. The answer is 2100, as they led by 60 points.
 * 4) The fourth riddle, based on  and unveiled 3 August at 3:30 pm London time, was: How many students take part in the Triwizard Tournament during Harry's fourth year? Multiply this number by 28. The answer is 112, as 4 students took part in the Triwizard Tournament in 1994.
 * 5) The fifth riddle, based on  and unveiled 4 August at 6:00 pm London time, was: What is the house number of the Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix in Grimmauld Place? Multiply this number by 21. The answer is 252, as the Headquarters was number 12, Grimmauld Place.
 * 6) The sixth riddle, based on  and unveiled 5 August at 2:00 pm London time, was: How many chapters are there in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Multiply this number by 14. The answer is 420, as there are 30 chapters.
 * 7) The seventh and final riddle, based on  and unveiled 6 August at 1 am London time, was: How many Deathly Hallows are there? Multiply this number by 7. The answer is 21, as there are 3 Deathly Hallows. What.png

On the first day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you to Sony USA's website, where a maroon screen reads 'Your journey begins here'. Click on it, and you will see a screen filled with floating feathers, but only one is the Magic Quill. It has an aura of luminous blue around it, and clicking on it will bring you to the registration site.

On the second day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 photo gallery on the official Warner Bros. website. In the gallery a photo of the Magic Quill on a pink background was added. Clicking it would redirect you to the Pottermore registration page.

On the third day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you to guardian.co.uk, where the page has the article of Pottermore. Usually where the calendar is, the Magic Quill box filled its space. You had to move your mouse quickly from side to side to levitate the quill. After levitating the Magic Quill a "Congratulations" message would appear, and the ad box would slowly load a "Now begin your journey" link. Clicking the link redirected you to the Pottermore registration page.

On the fourth day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you right to the 'Congratulations! You have found The Magical Quill' page on pottermore.com where you can register. Initially, the answer redirected to Sony's page selling Sony Blu-Ray players, Sony PlayStation 3s, and Harry Potter Merchandise, but there was no magical quill. This issue went on for a couple minutes until it was resolved by redirecting the URL to the registration page, skipping the search for the quill entirely.

On the fifth day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you to Scholastic's Harry Potter page. At the top, there was a banner ad for Pottermore. Floating feathers appeared, and the magical quill had an aura of luminous blue around it. Clicking the Magic Quill would give you a "Congratulations" message, and the ad box would slowly load a "Now begin your journey" link. Clicking the link redirected you to the Pottermore registration page.

On the sixth day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you to Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. On the homepage (after the intro) there was the Magic Quill with an aura of luminous blue around it. Clicking the Magic Quill would give you a "Congratulations" message, and the ad box would load a "Now begin your journey" link. Clicking the link redirected you to the Pottermore registration page.

On the seventh day, keying in the correct URL would redirect you to Warner Brothers' Parseltongue Translator. On the homepage (after the intro), users had to select the Magic Quill from a selection of quills in an ad space. Clicking the Magic Quill would give you a "Congratulations" message, and the ad box would load a "Now begin your journey" link. Clicking the link redirected you to the Pottermore registration page.

Behind the scenes

 * The date of the start of beta registration (31 July) is both J.K. Rowling's and Harry Potter's birthday.
 * Pottermore had been in development for two years since its incorporation in April 2009, however the Leaky Cauldron's Melissa Anelli has been involved with the project since October 2009.
 * Entertainment Weekly admitted with approval of the website and praised that the website was not just a marketing ploy to sell e-books and audiobooks, but a website that "will at least let you experience some of the fun of living in the world of Harry Potter."
 * Though it was stated that one million beta members would have the opportunity to preview the site, as of April 15, 2012 (the day after the public opening), the site's Great Hall section listed around 850,000 students as being registered. A number of factors account for this, including members who "caught the magical quill" but later chose not to participate, and accounts that were reviewed following reported attempts to sell accounts for early access to the site.

Notes and references
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