Byars

By Dylan Hackett, Staff Writer

or those of you still waiting on
owl to deliver your acceptance
letter to Hogwarts, you will

be relieved to hear that the gates to
Pottermore will soon be opening to the
public, allowing for the legend of “the
boy who lived” to continue online!
By the end of the month, the beta test
phase of the site www.pottermore.com
will wrap up and any mere muggle with
an Internet connection will be able to
ride the Hogwarts Express, get sorted
into a house, duel other wizards, earn
points for your house (Hufflepuff in
my case), run through fully-illustrated
interactive chapters from the Harry
Potter books, and much more. I was
one of the lucky fans who attained
access to the beta of Pottermore and
having enjoyed the experience for the
past couple of weeks, I can spill all the
Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans to
those of you still eager for your owls!

If you’re not entirely sure what I’m
referring to here, J.K. Rowling, author
of the Harry Potter series, announced
this June that she would be continuing
the publication of additional content
for the hordes of diehard fans who
were going to be left without new
Potter material to froth over after the

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theatrical release of Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Fans
browse through the site in sections
based on the chapters of the book and
are treated with new backstories on
important characters. In each page
there are bits you can “like,” similar
to Facebook, and even events that you
can favourite. Much like Facebook,
you can build up an anonymous
friends list where you are only known
by a computer-generated username
like mine: WizardMarauderS5.

While exploring the chapters you can

supplies and eventually, your wand.
Since “the wand chooses the wizard,”
you are prompted with questions from
Mr. Olivander the wand-maker, and
are given a wand based on how you
answer. I was presented with a 13 4%
inch spruce wand with a unicorn hair
core. Thus far, I can say the wand has
served me well.

The next important event is being
sorted into your respective houses by
the Hogwarts Sorting Hat! Much like
with the wand selection, you’re asked
a series of questions which ultimately

“Starting my personal venture through Pottermore was like being a
nine-year-old for a second time.”

learn gossipy details on things like
Professor McGonagall’s love life and
J.K. Rowling’s personal thoughts and
reasoning behind characters, places,
and details in the Harry Potter universe.
Starting my personal venture
through Pottermore was like being
a nine-year-old for a second time. A
few chapters in, you make your way
to Diagon Alley, the wizard shopping
centre hidden deep within London.
Once there, Hagrid takes you through
the shops to purchase your school

place you into the Hogwarts house

that suits you best. In the video clip

preceding the sorting, J.K. Rowling

asserts that the hat’s decision is final.

With much nerve and anticipation I

was finally sorted to the house of the

humble, hungry badger: Hufflepuff.

Without a doubt, I thought I’d be

a much better fit for Gryffindor

but I can’t argue with a sorting

commissioned by J.K. Rowling herself.
Once sorted, you’re able to

participate in activities which allot your

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house points. These activities are potion
making and wizard duels. The potion
making process is incredibly difficult
but since wizard duels are currently
offline for maintenance (post-beta users
will be able to experience it in full),
it is the only means for wizards and
witches to earn house points beyond the
realm of the story. You can still practice
your spells (from fire-making spells to
tickling hexes) in preparation for these
soon-to-return duels though. Potions on
the other hand, are up for brewing. All
you need is a caldron and ingredients.
Ingredients for the potions can be
purchased in Diagon Alley then taken
back to Snape’s classroom to earn you
house points, if brewed successfully.
This part of the experience could be
fine-tuned as there are frequent glitches
that occur when heating the potions and
stirring them counter-clockwise.

In 2012, the site will also include
a store which will sell audio books and
for the first time, official Harry Potter
e-books for Kindle users and other
electronic book types. Pottermore will
open up to the public by the end of
October and will be fully functional
as they update the site to include
adventures from all of the seven books
in the series.