Back in 2011, J.K. Rowling and company launched a website to connect our muggle world to the fantasy realm found inside the Harry Potter books. Now, Pottermore has been redesigned, and its new incarnation features surprises for fans of all degrees. It's the first major update since the addition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the summer of 2015. Here are the most exciting changes you'll find.
The most talked-about new Pottermore feature is the expansion of Harry's biographical information. Frankly, it's getting more buzz than Rowling's announcements earlier this month about James Sirius Potter and Teddy Lupin. Potterheads now know Harry is descended from Linfred of Stinchcombe, a 12th century eccentric with a Weasley-sized family, who crafted the cures and potions that would later become Skele-gro and Pepperup. Stinchcombe's son, Hardwin, married Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of Deathly Hallows' famous figure, Ignotus Peverell, and the inheritor of her grandfather's invisibility cloak. Iolanthe's inheritance of the cloak, according to new Pottermore information, began a tradition in which "the eldest in each new generation" would be the one to receive it, regardless of sex.
For those who enjoy articles like "20 Harry Potter Quotes You Can Use In Real Life," Pottermore's new blog space will be of particular interest. The site now runs features — such as "7 reasons to love Luna Lovegood" and "11 times Professor Snape was the hardest teacher to please at Hogwarts" — written by Pottermore staffers. These articles are delightful to read, so be sure to check them out on your next visit.
According to BuzzFeed, this Pottermore overhaul may be only the beginning. Many fans have begged for the chance to find out what form their Patronus will take, but Rowling and crew have kept mum since a February 2015 Twitter update stated that the site was working on granting their wishes. In a post-overhaul news announcement assuring fans that the Sorting Hat would be making its triumphant return to the site, the Pottermore Team again promised that the opportunity "to find out the form of your Patronus" was on the way.
So what do you think? Do you like the new Pottermore? Let me know what your opinions are by dropping a line on Twitter!
Image: Warner Bros.
