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 to be opened to the general public in October 2011. It is a joint venture of J.K. Rowling and Sony, and will offer an experience centred around the reading of the Harry Potter series, with interactive features, new information from Rowling's extensive collection of notes, and e-book editions of the books available for purchase for the first time. One million people will get a chance to preview the site before its general launch starting on 31 July, 2011.

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. Rowing 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 encyclopaedia.

Some fan sites reportedly had access to a sneak preview of Pottermore and, while telling they'd 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 Pottermore: "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 revealed that Pottermore will be open for everyone from October, 2011.

J.K. Rowling's announcement on YouTube
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Early testers
Between July 31st-August 6th, 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 will eventually receive a welcome email that allows them to access Pottermore. Not all early testers will receive this email at the same time.

The Magical Quill challenge was open for seven days, from July 31st to August 6th, 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 be more difficult than the last four.

For example, if the below question were the clue:

Clue: How many books are there in the Harry Potter series? Multiply this number by 10.

Since the answer is 70, the URL for the Quill would be http://quill.pottermore.com/70.

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

When all the early entry places were filled, The Magical Quill links were withdrawn. Fans will still be able to join the email list on the homepage, but will not be able to fully register or enter until Pottermore is opened to all in October 2011.

Universal opening
Everyone, including those who missed the early registration period and/or were not picked as early testers, will be able to register in October 2011.



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 July 31st 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 August 1st 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.
 * 3) The third riddle, based on  and unveiled August 2nd 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 August 3rd 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 August 4th 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 based on  and unveiled August 5th 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 August 6th 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.

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 link appeared to redirect 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 3's, 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.

Notes and references
Pottermore Pottermore