Hogwarts’ halls stay open to Harry Potter lovers through website

By Morgan Quilici

For Harry Potter fans, the magical world they once knew came to an end when the credits started rolling during the final film. Little did they know, J.K. Rowling had something big in store for them; something that would keep the magic alive for generations to come — “Pottermore.com”:http://www.pottermore.com/.

“Pottermore is a way for us who have really invested a lot of ourselves in this phenomenon to keep it up and come together in a communal way,” Karen Hoffman, senior in LAS, said.

Pottermore.com is a free, interactive website that allows fans of the series to truly become a part of Harry’s world by assuming the role of a student at Hogwarts. Fans will also be able to read parts of all the books with enhanced visuals and discover new secrets that J.K. Rowling has hidden throughout the stories.

“You get to live like a student at Hogwarts,” Pia Muyot, sophomore in LAS, said. “You follow along through the story line but instead of always following Harry’s story, you are also kind of creating (a) story on your own.”

Caitie Lewis, sophomore in LAS who has earned early access to the site, expressed why she and other fans were drawn to the site in the beginning.

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“What I think the big draw to the site is that J.K. Rowling has put new information from the book series hidden in things that you get to find, (like) the back stories to characters that you didn’t know,” Lewis said.

Early registration to the site, called the Magic Quill Challenge, opened on July 31 and closed a week later on Aug. 6. Each day of the challenge, a clue would be given to fans, which they had to solve and enter the answer into their search bar. Fans would then be led to a page where they were instructed to find the Magic Quill. Once they found it, they could enter their information for early access. However, the process continued as fans would have to wait for a welcome email allowing them access to the site.

“It was like a game,” said Hoffman, who is still waiting for her welcome email. “I don’t know exactly how (the site) works, but I’m really excited to find out!”

Older fans who have gained early access to the site, like Muyot and Lewis, have indicated some slight disappointment in the site.

“Well, right now the site isn’t completely up an running,” Muyot said.

Lewis agrees, and feels that she may have outdated herself among Harry Potter fans.

“Right now it is definitely in the works,” Lewis said. “Coming as a college student who is on this site — I feel like its’ definitely for people who are younger.”

Even though it is a minor work in progress, the excitement by fans for the Harry Potter world to continue hasn’t altered.

“The mark of the end of the books and when the last movie came out, that was my childhood (ending),” Muyot said. “I feel like this site (is) nostalgic, but at the same time it is a way (for fans to) move forward.”

Although the Harry Potter book and movie series have come to an end, its influence lives on in its fans.

“I have become a part of this life, this story. I feel a connection to it,” Hoffman said. “So Pottermore.com is a way to keep up that connection.”