I admit it: I always secretly thought I would get a Hogwarts letter. I just didn’t realize that it would be via e-mail. On a magical day in July, the Muggle World was provided knowledge of J.K. Rowling’s latest contribution to the Harry Potter phenomenon. Though millions of fans toyed with the prospect of another book, J.K. Rowling revealed the website Pottermore.com to her fans instead. The official blog of the website, Pottermore Insider, lead some die-hard fans to a virtual version of the “magical quill” (that writes down the names of children who are born with powers–like me!), using riddles which prompted those wanting early access to crack open the books again for the answers (no, the spell “Accio answers!” didn’t work). This month, the selected mudbloo-I mean, muggle-borns, began using the website, which is set to open to all in October. With the help of a good friend (Shout out to Tony!) and my geek radar finally tuned, I became one of the first million people to enter the closest, most official thing to the hypothetical wizarding world. I risk being incarcerated in Azkaban for divulging this top secret information, because if there is just one more HP that deserves an “I” in the middle and a place in the “Talk Nerdy to Me” column, it’s my boy (who lived) Harry Potter. What better reason to pull a “Rita Skeeter”?
In the website trailer, J.K. Rowling describes the site as a unique online reading experience, conjured up by the master of fantasy herself! After years of unprecedented success as an author, she is now able to give something back to the fans. While the site utilizes the stories you already know and love rather than a role-playing, game-based interface, it incorporates interactive elements, such as being sorted and collecting items. Free of charge, Pottermore users are also exposed to Harry Potter secrets, unveiled within new and exclusive writings from Rowling that delve into the origins of characters, ideas for magical objects, and personal experiences that contributed to the story. Eventually, the Pottermore shop will also be the only place to get e-book versions of Harry Potter for the first time.
Only somewhat disappointingly, entrance did not require me to run through any brick walls (like at Platform 9 and 3/4). In fact, the website (developed by Sony) is especially user-friendly, deploying aesthetically-pleasing graphics while retaining clean elegance. Though my obsessive-compulsive disorder kicks in every time I have to log in as RuneQuest30 (the handle that the registration goblins gave me), these assigned screen names assist the website with anonymity in its trial period and lay the foundation for a strictly Harry Potter-related environment. Pottermore also encourages an ageless online experience, emphasizing it’s family-orientation. In other words, if you’re looking for weirdly sexy pictures of Ron Weasley or Draco Malfoy, you should probably just stick to Tumblr.
While comments can be left on different parts of the story and the “like” system has been protracted beyond Muggle social networking sites and into Pottermore, the site is not considered the “Facebook for Harry Potter fans.” Instead, it brings the beloved novels into the digital spectrum in the most authentic way yet. When you first log in, the site suggests reading the books simultaneously in order to enjoy the experience to its fullest potential. With no images including the faces of the movie we’ve come to so heavily associate with Harry Potter, the focus is clearly on the texts. Honestly, after reading the books twice each and seeing every movie, the idea of merely rehashing the same plot again was equal to seeing the Grim in my tea leaves; however, I am pleased to say that Pottermore ended up rekindling my fervor for the series in a way I thought impossible since watching the blurry credits roll on the 8th movie–Hey, I wasn’t crying! I ate a lot of Sour Patch Kids, okay!?!
The home screen is a map illustrating your progress through the books, complete with notifications about friends in the middle. Your journey begins in Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which is the British version of Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone. The British origins of Harry Potter are brought to the forefront within the site, from the spelling of “favourite” to the references to real places in England, which J.K. Rowling discusses in her essays, and of which she says allowed her to acquaint herself further with her masterpiece. You become privy to these essays as you click around “Moments”, the key parts of each book that come to life on Pottermore. In the first moment, I found out that J.K. Rowling based the Dursley’s home on her second childhood home, without even realizing it until walking through the movie set. I only hope that the cupboard under the stairs wasn’t her bedroom, too.
In addition, you can get a wand, be sorted into a house (which can’t be changed–so if you don’t want to end up a Hufflepuff, you should brush up on your house knowledge before being quizzed), earn house points toward a House Cup, find magical creatures, stir up potions, collect enchanted objects, and more. You can also favorite these items, as well as “Moments”, so that they are on your profile. You can upload your own Harry Potter-related artwork, and you can even send and receive friend requests, with notifications coming in the form of owls on your “gateway”. They could only have done a more thorough job if you could have your own magical pet, like Hermione’s cat Crookshanks or Ron’s rat…actually, umm…forget Ron’s rat/one-handed servant to the Dark Lord.
Every true Harry Potter fan owes it to themselves to allow this geeky extension of the books into their lives. After all, how else will we pass the epic tale onto our popcorn-brained, internet-addicted, video game-crazed children after they tug on our shirts saying, “Mom, Dad–What is paper?” as they tell us about their coloring blogs. Be sure to register in October, preferably at some strange hour to avoid the masses crashing the server (one of the Grindylows in the system). If this strategy fails, considering the site is international, be sure to use a “time turner.” Until then, follow @pottermore on Twitter.
Also, check out our Her Campus writer and fellow witch, Chic Geek of the Week: Ally Smith!