Pottermore, with SPOILERS, VOL 2

Load times were killing the other thread, so I've continued it here.

On this thread, those of us participating in the beta testing/early entry will be able to share our impressions of the site.

If you're part of the beta test group, feel free to post your username, let us know when you get your welcome letter and can enter the site, and anything else you want to share! I will add usernames to the index at the bottom of this post.

If you didn't get in via early registration, check this thread only if you want to know details about the site -- if you'd rather remain unspoiled until the site opens to all, you probably shouldn't read beyond this post!

All right . . . let the magic begin!

AvisThorn20176 (ErisofDiscord) Gryffindor
CastleHazel26 (compskibook) Ravenclaw
CharmKey499 (read_books) Ravenclaw
CharmVine187 (InfectiousOptimist)
CloakAsh188 (Carmenere) Gryffindor
CrimsonQuill17391 (Rozax) Slytherin
CrimsonSickle26 (MrAndrew)
ErisedEcho96 (BuffaloPhil) Ravenclaw
FeatherWalnut741 (the_silent_reader) Ravenclaw
FlameWitch114 (SaraFleming)
FrogAsh177 (Carmenere's son)
HawthornMoon4408 (hellosis) Ravenclaw
HazelCat40 (foggidawn) Ravenclaw
KnightCloak47 (Mandy2) Gryffindor
MagicMahogany55 (MsDonna)
MahoganyFlame88 (Renald128) Gryffindor
MistCat146 (sarahy)
NightAuror44 (kopal)
OakGalleon7 (kirbyowns) Gryffindor
PatronusMirror29 (Octane) Slytherin
PatronsSickle3635 (megkrahl) Gryffindor
PhoenixPotion15 (Espeon200) Hufflepuff
QuillStirke212 (katelisim) Ravenclaw
RainMirror118 (Kerian) Hufflepuff
RuneFrog42 (littlegeek) Ravenclaw
ScarletElm67 (Alishamb08) Ravenclaw
SnidgetPatronus33 (jugglingpaynes) Hufflepuff
SparksFrog170 (KayEluned) Ravenclaw
SpellGlow28 (lilkim714)
SpiritRain85 (catbastet) Hufflepuff
StarFloo26 (leahbird) Gryffindor
Stormseer101 (LadyN) Hufflepuff
WillowSand47 (biblioholic29) Gryffindor
YewDraconis162 (06nwingert) Slytherin

Gryffindor: 8
Hufflepuff: 5
Ravenclaw: 10
Slytherin: 3

If anyone else is in but hasn't listed which house they are sorted into, please feel free to share and I'll add you to the list.

And just to recap the other list we compiled:

Here's the compiled list of what you should be able to find (not including potion ingredients and/or galleons). This may not be a complete list, but it's everything that has been posted so far in the thread.

objects: (18 not including purchases)
alarm clock
postcard from London
hammer and nails
sea shell
slimy weed
shopping list
vault key
Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans
Prefect badge
rememberall
golden snitch
Wizard's chess set
dragon egg
winged key
old cup
salt and pepper
rock cake
candle
+ all the required purchases (scales, telescope, vials, etc)

chocolate frog cards: (11)
Dumbledore
Morgana
Paracelsus
Hengist of Woodcroft
Merlin
Rowena Ravenclaw
Cliodna
Salazar Slytherin
Godric Gryffindor
Helga Hufflepuff
Circe

books: (19)
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration‡
A History of Magic‡
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi‡
Magical Theory‡
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them‡
A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry
Notable Magic Names of Our Time
From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide
Modern Magical History
Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland
Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit
Important Modern Magical Discoveries
Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century
Hogwarts: A History
Quidditch Through the Ages
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1‡*
Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection‡*
Curses and Counter Curses*
Magical Drafts & Potions‡*

‡ these books are purchased rather than found
* these are not held in your trunk but rather under Spells and Potions

i received an email today asking me to take the readers' survey. i took it, even though i already took it when they posted it to Insider. i also happened to check Insider and saw a new update that says they tweaked potion making a bit, reducing the brew time. i thought the one i did the other day seemed suspiciously shorter than it had been when i tried it before, but i certainly didn't complain since i FINALLY completed a potion other than the practice one.

WIZARD'S DUELS ARE BACK UP!!!! PIANOOOO

oooooh, must go try it out!

#4 -- Awesome!

Awesome! It was down before I got to them. Now I'll finally get to try it :)

I like the wizard's duels. They were down before I could get to them too. I still find the potion brewing times too long especially since I'm not very good at the ones that involve trying to control those bottled ingredients while pouring. I wait 40 mins for them to brew and then I screw them up.

From Mugglenet's Twitter: The Pottermore shop is now open!

I'm disappointed, US residents can't get the UK versions of the books in eReader or audio. That was thing I was most hoping for. I want to hear Stephen Fry read them to me!

#10, bib:

I know. I'm disappointed, too. I have the American audios (CDs) and the American and French hardback/paperback. I was really looking forward to collecting and reading the series in UK English, the way they were written. I even changed my home country and language to UK English on Pottermore; alas, I still couldn't get the UK versions.

#10 -- Aww, man! That is disappointing.

10 bib, did you read any of the UK versions? I have always wondered how different they are from the US version. I was annoyed that someone (publishers/publicists?) felt that US kids couldn't handle it UK English. Sigh.

#10 - Same here, bib. Sadly, though, I'm not surprised. :/

#13: Yeah, I read the first 2 in the the UK versions. My sister Holly has them all, Mutombu used to go to London every year for work and he collected them all for her. They're not super different, they revise instead of study, that kind of thing. Mostly, I've just really wanted the Stephen Fry audio for a long time and was really hoping I'd finally get to hear it.

I'm on Pottermore! Username is AvisThorn20176, and I am in Gryffindor. :D

Finally!!! :D
I am waiting for my conformation email. . .
Can't wait to get started.

#16 by ErisofDiscord> added you to the list

Finally! It's here! I'm CharmKey499, and am a proud Ravenclaw!

That's awesome, r_b! If it's okay I'll send you a friend request on Pottermore.

Got you added to the list!

20- That's great! I'll keep an eye out for for your owl! :^)

21- Thanks!

I'm on there too. I'm FeatherWalnut741 and a RAVENCLAW! I always thought I was one at heart, now I'm one on Pottermore.

Got you listed. Ravenclaw is now beating Gryffindor in LT numbers... well, those listed here.

I just signed up with Pottermore. Got my invitation/reminder thinger this morning. I'm CrimsonQuill17391, so if you get a friend request from that username, tis just me. <

You're on the list now.

*hee* Slytherin. I decided to see what would happen if I answered the opposite of each question in the sorting. It's probably the Merlin box instead of the fuzzy creatures that got me. ^^;

It's been a while since we had a Pottermore update/review, so I'm using the Resurrection Stone on the thread. I tried (in vein for 3 hours) to buy the ebooks and digital audio books on the Pottermore shop as a birthday present to myself today. I went in circles before giving up. Apparently, Pottermore didn't like my Visa and didn't want $300.

That's strange. I've had no trouble buying them.

I haven't been on Pottermore in a really long time. Now that it's out of Beta and the Store is open, I'm hoping that they are working on Chamber of Secrets. . . .

I haven't tried buying the ebooks or audiobooks, since the UK audiobooks were the only thing I was particularly interested in. (And, of course, lack of funds is also a factor with me.)

I think that Chamber of Secrets is done, because the House Cuo will be awarded on July 5th.

Ooh, interesting thought. I was just looking at the site and thinking that I should go through it again and see if they've made any changes since I first did it. Maybe I'll create a new avatar and try for a different House, just for the experience.

You can actually go to the chapters that have the Hogwarts library in them, click around on the books till you hear that magical tinkle sound (the one that lets you know you've found an object) and read little excerpts from some of your books!

No, Chamber of Secrets isn't available for playing with but they say it will be available soon

The first four chapters of CoS were revealved to Slytherins today, as their reward for winning the House Cup. It should open to everyone else shortly. I just finished it and here are my thoughts (SPOILERS):

1) I like the staggered release. Chapters 1-4, then 5-11, then 12-18. This doesn't let anyone finish the book in one setting and grumble about how Pottermore isn't interesting.

2) 2 games: holding Aunt Petunia's cake in the air for 14 seconds and launching gnomes out of the Weasley garden in 100 seconds. Here's a hint for the second game: think of a Foxtail or softball throw when you launch the gnome. A lower angle works.

3) New material includes information on technology and the Malfoy family. At one point, some wizards tried forming the BWBC (British Wizarding Broadcasting Company), but the MoM wouldn't allow it. The Malfoy family history was interesting. The Malfoy's arrvied with William the Conqueror, which is another JKR tie to real-world events. The family has never aspired to be in political affiliation, but they "have their hands on it." While the Malfoy's never married muggles or muggle borns, but they "eschewed the practice of marrying pure-bloods" as it would lead to more Gaunts and Lestranges (mentally unstable families).

I wasn't a big fan of Pottermore, but I think some of the changes have been for the better. I'm hoping JKR reveals some more good content, specifically Horcrux-related, later in this book.

Ooh, exciting!

CoS is Open!!!

Well, the first four chapters are open. But they are pretty cool and lots of fun! :D

I really liked the first four chapters, especially the games and extra information about the Malfoy family.

Has anyone else been getting the feeling that in Pottermore, you are playing the part of a young witch/wizard kleptomaniac? Now all I can imagine in the Harry Potter books is that while Harry and Co. are saving the world, in the background there's a Hogwarts student stealing random items from people's rooms and plucking hairpins from the heads of witches. :oP

HAHAHA!

#39: Yes! I think it really hit me around the time I was waiting outside Flourish and Blotts and just blatantly stole some mint out of someone's shopping basket!

And snitched a hair-pin straight from her head! Not to mention all the books we snagged at the Weasleys'. Thank you for that description, catbastet - I think my imagination will be looking at Pottermore different now! ^_^

I haven't played the Chamber of Secrets chapters yet, but I started feeling the same way about the time we were going through drawers in Gryffindor Tower during the first book!

I'm trying to make a potion and cant find my wand!

One of these kleptos must have stolen it!

#44: It should be lying behind the ingredients to the left. It looks a bit like a random piece of wood or possibly one of the porcupine quills (if you're doing the practice potion). It can be hard to spot.

thanks

I still haven't gone on and done the first chapters of CoS -- I need to write myself a reminder or something.

You and me both, foggi. I think I was one of the first LTers on there but haven't been back since about the first week of beta.

I'm having problems logging into pottermore. I tried a couple weeks ago to log in from my local library, but I have forgotten my password. So I requested a password change and I changed it. But I was stupid and didn't write it down, so I don't remember it a week later when I went back. So another change, but pottermore didn't let me change it. It emailed me the link but it said there was problems so try again later. I tried again same message. So essentially I am logged out of my pottermore account.

I would make a new account, but I don't have fast enough internet at home to support Pottermore, so I won't.

I know I haven't been around in forever (but I've missed y'all), but my daughter and I just recently signed up on Pottermore and I knew if I wanted to find some friends I could come here.

So...I have been playing as PatronsSickle3635, and I am in Gryffindor. That surprised me, because I always thought I would be a Ravenclaw. My daughter is QuillCharm21566 and she is in Slytherin, also a surprise.

I was wonder how I learn new spells. Right now there are only 3 I can cast and I am getting my butt kicked in the duels.

If you want to win duels, then exert all your energy to learn the Full Body Bind. That is the spell that gives your house the most points (five), and the one that reaches the highest number of spelldom (a perfect Body Bind has a potency of 145). That's what all the major duelists use, and that's why they're all able to win.

I am also in Gryffindor, so it's awesome to meet a fellow LT Gryff! I hope you enjoy Pottermore. :)

megkrahl you're listed above now. Happy dueling!

Thank you!

When are the new chapters going to open?  It's getting kinda dull for me.

I know! Did you get the email from them this morning about the "new ebooks available"? They mention that the first few chapters were "just released" and I thought "Six weeks ago! That's not my definition of just!"

I might have deleted that one.  I went directly to the website after seeing one e-mail, and deleted it since I didn't see anything different on the website.

Chapters 5-11 of Chamber of Secrets was released. We get some backstory on King's Cross in chapter 5. I liked having sound effects such as the Hogwarts Express' whistle and the Whomping Willow's branches hit the Ford Angela. See the detail in Snape's office was cool, too-- it's something we don't see a lot of in the movies. I had a hard time with the pixie game in chapter 6, though.

Ack! I still haven't done chapters 1-4 yet!

Oh, I forgot to post my Pottermore ID. It's RuneDragon22446

Oh, the pixies gave me hell. It took me ten tries to ge them all in. :( Everything else was fun, though!

The pixies didn't give me trouble, but I am stuck on the potion. I haven't done potions since the first bit opened, and the laptop's trac pad is not very helpful :(

61 and 62: Can I have some adivse on the pixies? It took me 10 tries and I only managed 2 pixies.

It's kind of like the wand has a bubble around it, like fairy cartoons. So if you just sweep in a straight line, the pixies will drift around the curve (up or down, depending on if they're higher or lower). So you kind of have to go at angles.



Let me know if that helps!

I ruined my Swelling Solution, too. I'm good at pretty much everything in it, but the heating always trips me up. And I was so close! I had done the waiting for the brewing, added and stirred everything just right, but as soon as it came time to cook the potion, I didn't do so well. Oh, well. Maybe I'll get my brother to do it. He's pretty good at potions. :) You hear that, Ares? You're going to do my potions for me!

Is it just me or is the page telling you to brew the Swelling Solution just a place holder? I brewed the potion and went back to Snape's office as instructed, but I kept expecting that original page to do something other than just sit there.

Otherwise, this was a decent round of chapters. Good original stuff by JK, which is why I'm on Pottermore anyway.

sounds awesome guys can't wait till it opens to all

It is open to all. :) They just had their public unveiling a few months ago. That's the only way I'm able to be on at all, since I was not part of the Beta users.

Are everyone's comments under moderation, or is that just me?  I had one removed some time back when I criticized the *ludicrosity of that letter game.  I know I'm not the only one who had an issue with it, and I was thorough with my critique (including the fact that I had the book open in front of me and still couldn't do it), and they took it down, saying that I'd violated their ToS.

*poetic licensing?

Oh, poo.  I have another complaint:  I need pufferfish eyes for the swelling spell, but the game isn't letting me buy them, because apparently I need to buy "everything else" on my list first, but it won't tell me what I'm missing!!!

When you're in the shop there should be a shopping list. . . in the right towards the top. But that did annoy me too.

It's really just books this time. Head over to Flourish and Blotts and invest in all those Lockhart books.

I thought I got all of those at the beginning of the chapter.  By the time the next set comes out, I'll have forgotten what I did or didn't purchase, anyway.  On the whole, I found this set kinda boring.  I didn't feel challenged enough; just point, click, and then move on.  No real achievements were unlocked.

Last chapters are open. I'm off to explore!

I need to remember.

I've tried brewing the darn Polyjuice Potion 4 times now with no success (due to stupid things like misclicking the wand or forgetting to go check the potion in the middle and it timed out). I appreciate the continuity of asking people to brew it to move on but, at this rate, I'm never going to get into that Slytherin common room!

You and me both, Leah. I have tried brewing it twice, even getting my brother - masterful potion brewer - to help me, but both attempts have ended in misery. I have given up. Especially since it seems inevitable that Slytherin will win the House Cup again. Sighs.

I finally got part 1 of the potion done, thank heavens. I just started part 2 brewing and it said to come back in 1080 minutes. Now, if my math is not terrible, that is 18 hrs. 18 hrs! This is becoming a real challenge.

Hopefully this one isn't as time sensitive because I will be on my way to work in 18 hrs.

Does anyone else have trouble getting back into the chapters after being away from Pottermore for so long.  As in, I can't remember how to get the durn thing started!

The chapters you've already explored are gold on your map thingy. To get started again, click on the next one and click "explore this chapter." Took me a sec to remember as well.

ETA: You can also do this by going to your personal page by clicking on your name.

Apparently the first few chapters of PoA are up. Of course, I didn't get the email until I got to work this morning and now I'm leaving for a few days and presents are supplanting my laptop so I don't get to play until Sunday. And I love PoA! :(

I didn't get an email at all yet. But I guess that doesn't matter too much, as I'm still stuck on that silly potion -_-;;

You don't have to complete the potion to move on. I haven't done it, I just finished the rest of it. I might miss a little something, but I can always go back later if I decide to.

HawthornMoon4408- Ravenclaw

but not special registration

So Pottermore opened up their Playstation Home add-on yesterday and I played with it a little bit last night. The problem was that I didn't have a "Home" account yet, so I spent most of the time I had creating my avatar and learning how things work. Then I headed to Diagon Alley and there were a bunch of other people there and I got overwhelmed by the potential social interaction. But I'm going to try again. Maybe this weekend. If anyone else happens to have a Playstation 3 and creates a Home account to hang around Pottermore (there's also a Doctor Who thing I'll be checking out sometime) my user name is the same there as here.

Wish I had a PS3 I could borrow to try this out...

Anyone else play the newest chapters? Did you notice that several have the audiobooks read by Jim Dale playing?

I played them, though I was at work so I had the sound off. :)

I've been disappointed with Azkaban. I want more new stuff from Jo!

Yeah, it's been pretty sparse. I noticed that a lot of the chapters had only a few moments and very little to actually do in them.

Interestingly, I've gone back to SS/PS recently (while rereading the books) and there had been a few moments and JKR stuff added since I'd first gone through it. The same was true of some CoS chapters. It's possible that more will be added in the future. (We can hope anyway!)

Hmm, that's good to know. I'm still way behind on Pottermore.

It's been a while since I've visited Pottermore.  I'm tired of the number of chapters we go through where nothing happens.  There's no task for us to complete and nothing to find. :(

Whoa guys! I knew it was coming (saw a Tweet) but the new navigation/home page is going to take some serious getting used to! The interface may be a bit less clunky, but I think it might be slower too. (Or the computer I'm using is 3.5 years old).

ETA: I found something I love about it. When you click on a moment to explore, there's a bar at the bottom of the moments thumbnail that fills up as you find things. When the bar is full, you know you've found everything in the moment. This has the potential to be both helpful and frustrating to those like me who feel the need to get 100% on video games. (I know Pottermore isn't a video game, but collecting everything in it is the same principle as for a video game.)

Has anyone else been reading the Daily Prophet? Ginny Potter's coverage of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup is quite good and the US is having their best showing in history!

I have yet to get caught up, but I'm rereading the series now, so maybe when I finish and want more, I'll jump back in.

Has anyone had their story navigator bar just completely disappear? I've tried different browsers and no luck. From what I read, it's happening to a decent number of people, but it's seriously frustrating. I haven't sat down to enjoy Pottermore in a long time and now that I have a chance.... no navigation!

When Pottermore first came out I joined, but never did much with it. Since Rita Skeeter's Quidditch World Cup article I have explored the first three books and love it! I just finished the unforgivable curses scene in GoF and am blown away. The bar at the bottom of each scene helps to find things, and so do the comments from others. I have even finally brewed a potion correctly! Has anyone else been on lately? I am CastleHazel26.

I'm actually catching up now, and it helps that they've affixed progress bars.  It doesn't help if you're having trouble, though.  For that, you need to go into the comments, and here there be all manner of interesting nuisances.  People being vague about telling you where something is, even if everyone's asking, and I've discovered that Pottermore doesn't like the word "quip" or "flyboy".  Seriously, I was flagged for saying "quip".  Who runs this site???

If you want to avoid the comments there's a Pottermore walkthrough app - at least for Android. I'd imagine Apple has one as well. Maybe not Windows.

I was surprised they released the entirety of OotP all at once. And I'm really looking forward to HBP later this month!

I'm not looking for a way to avoid comments.  Until the progress bars were added, I'd consistently forget that they were even there.

Anyone know any negative connotations for the word "poignant"?  Pottermore appears to have banned that word, too.

>101 justjukka: I simply meant there were ways to get hints as to what you're missing without the "nuisance"s found in the comments section.

I appreciate that.  The comments might not be so bland if the "code of conduct" would stop banning words like "chutzpah".

ETA: "Dissecting" isn't allowed either... I don't know why all of this amuses me so much.  I'll just refer back to Inigo Montoya, as before.