Rachel Chistyakov

Voices Editor

Many teenagers consider summertime to be one of the happiest times of the year. However, this was not the case for many Harry Potter fans who had to bid farewell to the book and movie series that they had kept close to them for years. This summer, the Harry Potter series came to an end with the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, which was released in July. For many fans, this was the end of a fourteen-year passion, beginning with the first release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997. Many asked, what now? With nothing to look forward to – no more books, no more movies, no more appearances by the actors – many fans wondered how they would be able to sustain their deep passion for Harry Potter. That is, until October 2011.

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, has created Pottermore, an interactive world of Harry Potter, allowing fans to partake in the adventures of Harry and his friends. On Pottermore fans create a fictional Hogwarts student and take them from book to book, playing out the adventures and experiences with Harry. Fans are now able to acquire a wand from Ollivander’s, pick an animal to bring with them to school, and even be sorted into one of the four houses. Once the character is sorted, he or she brews potions, collects items and duels with other students in order to earn house points.

Currently, only the Sorcerer’s Stone is up for fans to experience. Each chapter becomes animated and fans can walk through each part of the chapter. They start off at Number 4 Privet Drive, home to Harry Potter, and walk through with him as he attends Hogwarts, meets his friends, and walks through the chambers of Hogwarts to destroy the Sorcerer’s Stone. The site also lets fans learn background information about key characters, places, and objects within the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling added more details to her books with the background stories, making the Harry Potter world seem like a reality.

Over the summer, J.K Rowling gave fans the exclusive chance to access Pottermore early: For one week, she put up questions regarding the books and whoever was able to figure out the answer with a limited amount of time was granted early access to Pottermore. The spots for early access were limited, and many fans around the world stayed up late into the night in order to know the daily questions. Students at Milken who were granted early access have already been actively participating in Pottermore, learning every twist and turn in the online adventure.

“My favorite back-story is Professor McGonagall’s. Her story is several pages long and it gives the readers a lot of insight into this teacher that we never knew about before,” Leora Nessim ’12, who was sorted into Slytherin, said.

Ultimately, Pottermore permits the fans to continue experiencing the world of Harry Potter even though the book and movie series have ended. With this online world, the Harry Potter series will never die out.