Potter takes the web

Those that did not receive an owl-delivered message on their 11th birthday confirming enrollment at Hogwarts now get another chance to be a wizard. J.K. Rowling, author of the acclaimed Harry Potter series, is launching an interactive website called Pottermore.

More than thirteen years ago, the first of seven Harry Potter books was released. For some students, that is how long they have been following the series. Junior Derrick Leong says “I have been following Harry Potter since the very beginning. [Ever] since I was born, my parents have been reading it to me.”

Fans find the magical element of Harry Potter to be intriguing. Leong says, “I like the fantastical element of the whole series set in this world with magical elements into it. Harry Potter ties the ‘muggle’ world and the ‘magic’ world together.”

It appeared as if the Harry Potter era for this generation was coming to an end with the release of the final movie; fans were devastated. Freshman Vivian Shen says, “I was really sad. I just wanted her [J.K. Rowling] to write more. Sophomore Alexandra Griffis adds, “I knew that the last movie was coming out for a long time, but when I heard the date I just didn’t want to see it because that meant Harry Potter was going to end.”

In July 2011, the end brought about a new beginning when J.K. Rowling announced the creation of Pottermore. Griffis says, “When Pottermore was announced I was just like ‘Oh my God, I get to read all the books in a different light again, and I get to see all the pictures and find out more about all the characters!’ I was just really excited.”

Pottermore gives fans the opportunity to experience Harry Potter interactively. Pottermore users can make potions and duel other wizards to earn points for their assigned house. Shen says, “[In Pottermore you] basically live in the book. You get to see never before seen excerpts of the book.”

Yet, like with all great things, there is a catch. So far Pottermore is only open to one million people in what is called a “Beta Testing Period.” Junior Eli Mayerson says, “[The makers of Pottermore] limited the website because they said that the early people can give them input, so when they finally open it to the public all the bugs will be tweaked out.”

Students were so dedicated that they stayed up late into the night to complete a quest and hopefully receive one of the one million emails sent to newly registered wizards. Freshman Emma Wynn says, “I did [the registration process] on the first day and stayed up ‘til one.”

Other faithful fans found a way to register early despite being out of country. Mayerson says, “We [me and my brother] were actually on vacation in Costa Rica when the clues were being released, and it was actually kind of hard to get on [to the website]. But eventually we both got accounts.”

After entering their personal information to register early for Pottermore, students anxiously waited to receive an e-mail to confirm that they got into Pottermore. The one million e-mails were sent out in intervals from Aug. 7 to Sept. 30.

So far students that are fortunate enough to have access to Pottermore enjoy it. Sophomore Julia Murray says, “My favorite part of Pottermore is making potions to gain house points. House points are something that you earn to win the house cup.” Wynn says her favorite part of the website is, “The sorting hat part. There’s this really in-depth quiz that determines your house.”

Although Pottermore has been welcomed warmly, there are still many areas in which it can improve. Sophomore Natalie Rutgers says, “There needs to be more games, I think that as soon as more people can get on they’re going to put on more stuff.” Mayerson adds, “Right now they don’t have any background music, but a lot of people have suggested it, so they’re probably going to add sound effects later.”

Additionally, many believe that Pottermore is simply an extension of the franchise. Sophomore David Leong says, “I think she made Pottermore just to keep the Harry Potter fad going, so Harry Potter doesn’t die. It’s already made so much money, and it’s already so big. You can’t just let something so big disappear.”

Junior Preston Harry adds, “[Pottermore was launched] to make money. I like the books, but those books were only written to make money too.” Sophomore Nathaniel Blood says, “Pottermore was made for publicity. It’s to keep the Harry Potter name alive after the last movie.”

Nevertheless, anxious Potter fans await regular registration. “I’m waiting to log onto Pottermore in October because Beta Testing is the trial run. After, [Beta Testing], everything is perfected,” says sophomore Rebecca Zipkin.

As the end of October approaches, the anticipation for Pottermore builds as eager fans look forward to the opportunity to access and experience the site for themselves. “[Pottermore] is the closest thing that there is so far to transport yourself to the world of Harry Potter,” says Zipkin. For many students Harry Potter is a significant part of their life. Zipkin adds, “[When Harry Potter is] something that’s been part of your life for a long time, it becomes a part of you.”