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Celebrate your Slytherin pride!

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Calling all Slytherins! The House Cup will be awarded on Sunday March 30, and in the run up we’re celebrating house pride week! We’re dedicating a day to each of the Hogwarts houses, and today we continue with the runners up of the last Pottermore House Cup – Slytherin!

Slytherins are ambitious, and we have no doubt that they’ll be able to use this determination in the activities for this house pride week.

Slytherins can get involved in this house pride week in several ways:
  • Submit a drawing on Pottermore.com celebrating your house pride and don’t forget to earn points on Pottermore.com to help your house to victory
  • Shout your pride out loud in the Great Hall and your common room
Users over 13 can also:
  • Shout their pride out loud on Twitter and Facebook
  • Submit their own video displaying their house pride on Instagram or YouTube


Celebrate your house pride day by submitting creative drawings on Pottermore.com, for a chance to have it featured as part of the best of house pride week. Here are some of our favourite Slytherin images so far:


Don't forget to keep earning those house points by brewing and duelling. The points could be crucial in helping your house win the Cup on March 30! If you need help to sharpen your brewing and duelling skills, you’ll find helpful tutorials created by members of the Pottermore community here.



We’ll be on the lookout for house pride comments in the Great Hall and the Slytherin common room on Pottermore.com. Make sure you include ‘Slytherin Pride’ in your message, and we’ll showcase our favourites on the Insider.











If you’re over 13 and have a Twitter account, why not answer our question: ‘What makes you be proud to be a Slytherin?’ including the hashtag #SlytherinPride in your tweet. We will retweet our favourite answers and we invite you to retweet your favourite ones too!




If you are 13 or older, you can create a short YouTube or Instagram video telling the Pottermore community what makes you proud to be a Slytherin by continuing the following sentence:

“Hi Pottermore community, I am proud to be a Slytherin because…”

Then simply add the tags #Pottermore and #SlytherinPride. We’ll find all the videos created and share our favourite ones here on the Pottermore Insider, and on our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Remember you are representing your house, so make sure you don’t do or share anything in your video that a Head of House would not approve of!



Important: When creating your video remember:

  • Not to share any personal details that could allow others to identify you, including Pottermore usernames.
  • You need to be 13 years or older to have a Youtube or Instagram account. Younger users can enjoy the celebrations by commenting in their common room and the Great Hall and submitting creative drawings on Pottermore.com.
  • If you visit YouTube or Instagram, you are leaving the safety of the Pottermore community. Remember to always remain safe when online, go to https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk for further information and advice.  

This Slytherin has already created a video to share their Slytherin pride. Why not take a leaf out of their book by creating your own?
We’ll be updating this blog post by adding some of our favourite submissions, so come back to the Pottermore Insider throughout the day to see more videos by proud Slytherins. You may even find your own displayed here!




Finally, if you are 13 or older and have a Twitter or Facebook account, you can download ‘Slytherin Pride’ cover images for your social profiles:

Click here to download the ‘Slytherin Pride’ Facebook cover
Click here to download the ‘Slytherin Pride’ Twitter cover



Facebook cover image (click here to download high resolution image for you to use)

Twitter cover image (click here to download high resolution image for you to use)


Part two of the history of the Quidditch World Cup is now available on Pottermore.com

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Last week we brought you the first part of J.K. Rowling’s exclusive writing on the history of the Quidditch World Cup, and today we’re pleased to announce that the second part of this entry is now available on Pottermore.com! Visit ‘The Golden Stadium’ Moment in Chapter 8 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to read all about the Quidditch World Cup (1990-2014)!

Well done to those of you who correctly guessed in our poll yesterday that Viktor Krum is the Quidditch player who has come out of retirement for the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. As revealed today on Pottermore.com, after a disappointing defeat against Egypt in 2002, “a tearful Krum announced his retirement” from the game. However this year the talented Seeker has returned to the game:

            “Much interest has been generated by the return to the Bulgarian side of the previously retired Viktor Krum, who at 38 is old for a Seeker but whose stated aim is ‘to win the World Cup before I die.’ For this reason, Bulgaria is attracting support from those whose own countries have not qualified.”
   
Alongside other interesting anecdotes from recent Quidditch World Cup finals, discover which Scottish Seeker famously blamed his father, ‘Stubby’ Lamont, for his failure to catch the Snitch in the nail-biting final against Canada in 1990.

Prepare yourself for the Quidditch World Cup 2014, which begins in April, by reading about the qualifying stages of the tournament. Find out which country is rumoured to have used Inferi to intimidate their opposition during the qualifying stages of the tournament, and which 16 countries will be competing.

If you’re keen to brush up on your Quidditch knowledge before this year’s tournament begins, why not consult your copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, written by the renowned Quidditch expert Kennilworthy Whisp.

Celebrate your Gryffindor pride!

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Calling all Gryffindors! On Sunday March 30, the House Cup will be awarded, and in the run up we’re celebrating house pride week. We’re dedicating a day to each of the Hogwarts houses, and today we’re celebrating Gryffindor!

Gryffindors are brave, and we’re certain they’ll dare to take part in our activities for house pride week. Gryffindors can get involved in this house pride week in several ways:

  • Submit a drawing on Pottermore.com celebrating your house pride and don’t forget to earn points on Pottermore.com to help your house to victory
  • Shout your pride out loud in the Great Hall and your common room

Users over 13 can also:

  • Shout their pride out loud on Twitter and Facebook
  • Submit their own video their house pride on Instagram and Youtube 


Celebrate your house pride day by submitting creative drawings on Pottermore.com, for a chance to have one of your drawings featured as part of our ‘best of house pride week’ roundup on the Insider.

Here are some of our favourite Gryffindor images so far:

Don't forget to keep earning those house points by brewing and duelling. The points could be crucial in helping your house win the Cup on March 30! If you need help to sharpen your brewing and duelling skills, you’ll find helpful tutorials created by members of the Pottermore community here.


We’ll be on the lookout for house pride comments in the Great Hall and the Gryffindor common room on Pottermore.com. Make sure you include ‘Gryffindor Pride’ in your message, and we’ll showcase our favourites on the Insider.











If you’re over 13 and have a Twitter account, why not answer our question: ‘What makes you be proud to be a Gryffindor?’ including the hashtag #GryffindorPride in your tweet. We will retweet our favourite answers and we invite you to retweet your favourite ones too!





If you are 13 or above, you can create a short YouTube or Instagram video telling the Pottermore community what makes you proud to be a Gryffindor by continuing the following sentence:

“Hi Pottermore community, I am proud to be a Gryffindor because…”

Then simply add the tags #Pottermore and #GryffindorPride. We’ll find all the videos created and share our favourite ones here on the Pottermore Insider, and on our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Remember you are representing your house, so make sure you don’t do or share anything in your video that a Head of House would not approve of!


Important: When creating your video remember:
  • Not to share any personal details that could allow others to identify you, including Pottermore usernames.
  • You need to be 13 years or older to have a Youtube or Instagram account. Younger users can enjoy the celebrations by commenting in their common room and the Great Hall and submitting creative drawings on Pottermore.com.
  • If you visit YouTube or Instagram, you are leaving the safety of the Pottermore community. Remember to always remain safe when online, go to https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk for further information and advice.

This Gryffindor has already demonstrated their Gryffindor pride by creating a video. Why not take a leaf out of their book by submitting your own?



We’ll be updating this blog post by adding some of our favourite submissions, so come back to the Pottermore Insider throughout the day to see more videos by proud Gryffindors. You may even find your own displayed here!

[Updated with some of our favourite videos submitted by the Pottermore community]



Finally, if you are 13 or older and have a Twitter or Facebook account, you can download ‘Gryffindor Pride’ cover images for your social profiles:

Click here to download the ‘Gryffindor Pride’ Facebook cover
Click here to download the ‘Gryffindor Pride’ Twitter cover


Facebook cover image (click here to download high resolution image for you to use)
Twitter cover image (click here to download high resolution image for you to use)

Celebrate your Ravenclaw pride!

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Calling all Ravenclaws! The House Cup will be awarded on Sunday March 30, and in the run up we’re celebrating house pride week! 

We’ve reached the final day of house pride week, having so far celebrated Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor, and witnessing many loyal, ambitious and brave displays of house pride from each of the houses.

Ravenclaws are known for finding inventive ways of being creative, but now it’s time for them to show what they’re made of by taking part in the activities for this house pride week.

Ravenclaws can get involved in several ways:
  • Submit a drawing on Pottermore.com celebrating your house pride and don’t forget to earn points on Pottermore.com to help your house to victory
  • Shout your pride out loud in the Great Hall and your common room

Users over 13 can also:
  • Shout their pride out loud on Twitter and Facebook
  • Submit their own video their house pride on Instagram and Youtube 

Celebrate your house pride day by submitting creative drawings on Pottermore.com, for a chance to have one of your drawings featured as part of our ‘best of house pride week’ roundup on the Insider.

Here are some of our favourite Ravenclaw images so far:


Don't forget to keep earning those house points by brewing and duelling. The points could be crucial in helping your house win the Cup on March 30! If you need help to sharpen your brewing and duelling skills, you’ll find helpful tutorials created by members of the Pottermore community here.



We’ll be on the lookout for house pride comments in the Great Hall and the Ravenclaw common room on Pottermore.com. Make sure you include ‘Ravenclaw Pride’ in your message, and we’ll showcase our favourites on the Insider.






If you’re over 13 and have a Twitter account, why not answer our question: ‘What makes you be proud to be a Ravenclaw?’ including the hashtag #RavenclawPride in your tweet. We will retweet our favourite answers and we invite you to retweet your favourite ones too!




If you are 13 or above, you can create a short YouTube or Instagram video telling the Pottermore community what makes you proud to be a Ravenclaw by continuing the following sentence:

“Hi Pottermore community, I am proud to be a Ravenclaw because…”

Then simply add the tags #Pottermore and #RavenclawPride. We’ll find all the videos created and share our favourite ones here on the Pottermore Insider, and on our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Remember you are representing your house, so make sure you don’t do or share anything in your video that a Head of House would not approve of!



Important: When creating your video remember:

  • Not to share any personal details that could allow others to identify you, including Pottermore usernames.
  • You need to be 13 years or older to have a Youtube or Instagram account. Younger users can enjoy the celebrations by commenting in their common room and the Great Hall and submitting creative drawings on Pottermore.com.
  • If you visit YouTube or Instagram, you are leaving the safety of the Pottermore community. Remember to always remain safe when online, go to https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk for further information and advice.

This is one of the Ravenclaws who has already created a video to display their house pride. Why not take a leaf out of their book by submitting your own?



We’ll be updating this blog post by adding some of our favourite submissions, so come back to the Pottermore Insider throughout the day to see more videos by proud Ravenclaws. You may even find your own displayed here!

[Updated with some of our favourite videos submitted by the Pottermore community]




Finally, if you are 13 or older and have a Twitter or Facebook account, you can download ‘Ravenclaw Pride’ cover images for your social profiles:

Click here to download the ‘Ravenclaw Pride’ Facebook cover
Click here to download the ‘Ravenclaw Pride’ Twitter cover

Click here to download the ‘Ravenclaw Pride’ Facebook cover
Click here to download the ‘Ravenclaw Pride’ Twitter cover

It's time to pass the magic on with the new Bloomsbury Harry Potter books

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Last week we announced that Bloomsbury’s* new children’s editions of the Harry Potter books will be available from September 2014, and that they will contain highlights of what readers can discover on Pottermore.com. Today we’re excited to bring you more details!

Bloomsbury, who first published the UK edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone back in 1997, announced the exciting news last Thursday that they would be publishing brand new children’s editions of the Harry Potter books. Whilst the stories themselves will remain the same, the presentation of the stories have been made even more appealing for children and the books will also include new content such as an extended biography of author J.K. Rowling. The illustrator chosen to re-imagine the artwork of the covers is the much loved and award-winning illustrator Jonny Duddle, best known for his work on the picture books The Pirate Cruncher and The Pirates Next Door.

Alongside the announcement, the beautiful new cover art for the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was released by Bloomsbury. The cover art, pictured left, depicts the enchanting moment when Harry, Ron and Hermione see Hogwarts for the very first time, as they are led by Hagrid to board the boats that will take them across the Great Lake.

We also released the exciting news that Pottermore.com will be highlighted in all of the new print editions of the books, so readers can learn about Pottermore.com and how they can experience more from the world of Harry Potter alongside the stories. The books will be on sale from September 1, 2014 and will also be exclusively available in eBook format at the Pottermore Shop.

If you had to pick one scene from the first Harry Potter book to illustrate on the cover which would you choose? Why not visit your favourite Moments from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on Pottermore.com and submit your own artistic interpretations of your favourite parts of the book.

*Bloomsbury are the publisher of the Harry Potter stories for the UK and the Commonwealth, including Canada.

The house points will be concealed tomorrow

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On Sunday, March 30, wands will be raised and cauldrons stirred for the last time in the fifth Pottermore House Cup Championship, before the winner is unveiled at 10 am (GMT).  Don’t forget that Friday March 28, at 10 am (GMT) the hour-glasses in the Great Hall will be concealed, adding some suspense to the final few hours of competition.

All points earned will still count though; so don’t miss the chance to earn those last minute points for your house by brewing potions and duelling members of other houses.

You can also earn points by collecting items in Moments from Harry’s story (excluding galleons), so make sure all your discovery bars are filled!

The house points have now been concealed!

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If you visit the Great Hall today, you may feel a sense of trepidation amongst Pottermore.com members. This is not because they are taking their O.W.L.s, but because the house points have been concealed ahead of the award ceremony for the fifth Pottermore House Cup!

The final house points totals and the winner will be revealed on Sunday at 10am GMT in the Great Hall! Although the hour-glasses have now been concealed, any points you earn between now and Sunday will still count, so be sure to give one last push to help your house to victory.

The best of house pride week!

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All good things must come to an end and, unfortunately, house pride week is no exception. During house pride week, there were thousands of displays of house pride, and we think your heads of house would have been proud.

We thoroughly enjoyed reading your passionate comments in the common rooms and the Great Hall on Pottermore.com, receiving your tweets and comments on Facebook and Twitter, as well as seeing your creativity expressed in the artistic drawings that were submitted. We were also delighted to watch all of the videos you created, telling us what makes you proud to be member of your house.

After a week of celebration, Pottermore.com members are engaged in a frenetic bout of duelling and potion-brewing as they try and give their house the edge in winning the Pottermore House Cup, which will be awarded on March 30.

Whilst you’re hard at work, we’ve collected some of our favourite contributions that were shared by Pottermore members, like you, during house pride week, to help inspire you in that final push for the House Cup!




Our favourite Hufflepuff house pride drawings. You can find more here.




Comments from the Great Hall and Hufflepuff common room. You can find more here.

“GO GO HUFFLEPUFF!!!! LOYAL and FAIR that's what Hufflepuff CARES! Happy PUFF PRIDE DAY EVERYONE! Proud to be a Hufflepuff!!!” by HeartPatronus26692

“Go Badgers amazing job everyone as always very Proud to be a Badger go Hufflepuff :)” by PumpkinHowl6989

“I am so proud to be a Hufflepuff! I am loyal, hardworking, fiercely protective, and it's the perfect house for me!” by PhoenixAsphodel64


Some of our favourite displays of Hufflepuff house pride on Twitter




This is just one of our favourite Hufflepuff house pride videos. You can find more here.











Our favourite Slytherin house pride drawings. You can find more here.




Comments from the Great Hall and Slytherin common room. You can find more here.

“Happy Slytherin Pride Day! Proud to be a Slytherin! We are on the way to the magical and powerful Salazar Slytherin greatness!” by PurpleNimbus8940

“Cunning is the art of concealing one's own flaws and discovering others...be Proud that people call you Cunning..Slytherin pride!” by NettleRose31089

“Why am I proud to be a Slytherin? My ambition drives me to do great things. I would never have been able to succeed without this family.” by PixieWillow9804

Some of our favourite displays of Slytherin house pride on Twitter

 


This is just one of our favourite Slytherin house pride videos. You can find more here.








Our favourite Gryffindor house pride drawings. You can find more here.


 


Comments from the Great Hall and Gryffindor common room. You can find more here.

 “My Gryffindor Pride: and join the rest who fight against darkness.I'm a Gryffindor and I'm proud.” by SilverVine6085

“Proud to wear red and gold! Happy Great Gryffindor day! Lets show some pride Lions and let me hear you ROOOOAR!” by CloakMidnight2293

“Never been more proud to be a Gryffindor. I can feel a strong sense of belonging when I read the comments. Go Go Gryffindor!” by CastleFirebolt26


Some of our favourite displays of Gryffindor house pride on Twitter

 

This is just one of our favourite Gryffindor house pride videos. You can find more here.








Our favourite Ravenclaw house pride drawings. You can find more here.




Comments from the Great Hall and Ravenclaw common room. You can find more here.

 “HAPPY HOUSE PRIDE DAY RAVENCLAW! Let's show the rest of Hogwarts why we're proud to be in the smartest and most individual house in school!” By PurpleQuest7592

“...no glory or fame,but all friends and love... So our hearts shall beat as Proud Ravenclaw ! Happy Ravenclaw Pride Day !” by MidnightKnight10568

“I am extremely proud to be a part of this amazingly intelligent, witty and knowledgeable house. Happy Ravenclaw Pride Day.” By QuestPixie20531

Some of our favourite displays of Ravenclaw house pride on Twitter

 


This is just one of our favourite Ravenclaw house pride videos. You can find more here.



You don’t have to wait until the next house pride week to show your colours, so why not head over to your common room or the Great Hall on Pottermore.com?


Support Pottermore at the #ShortyAwards!

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It might not be an Order of Merlin, First Class, but we’re very excited to share with you that Pottermore has been nominated for a Shorty Award, which honours the best of social media!

Ahead of the awards ceremony on April 7, 2014, we answered some unexpected and interesting questions for the judges including  ‘Terms you wish would start trending on Twitter right now?’ and ‘What are six things you could never do without?’. If you’d like to see our answers you can find them here.

We were also asked to create a video telling the judges why we think Pottermore should win at this year’s Shorty Awards. We could never have been nominated for this award without such a vibrant Harry Potter community. From the wonderful comments and drawings you leave on Pottermore.com, to the pride you show during house pride week, not only to your own house but the respect and support you display towards members of other houses, we’re very proud of the Pottermore community, so we hope you enjoy watching the campaign video we created:



If you’d like Pottermore to win this award let us know why on Twitter (if you’re 13 or older) using the hashtags #ShortyAwards#Pottermore. You can also comment on our Facebook post here.

Celebrate the fifth Pottermore House Cup winners in the Great Hall

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After months of duelling, brewing and diligently collecting items, cheers of celebration and congratulations can be heard in the Great Hall as the colours of the fifth Pottermore House Cup winner shine!

Go to the Great Hall today to see the House Cup award ceremony and find out who the winners are.

Ravenclaw soars to victory in the fifth Pottermore House Cup Championship

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On Sunday March 30, the Great Hall saw the eagle soar over the three other houses for the first time in Pottermore House Cup history. Blue and bronze shone brightly in the Great Hall and Ravenclaw members were in high spirits.

It has been another competitive House Cup competition, but by the time the house points were concealed, Ravenclaw enjoyed a healthy lead of more than 200,000 points over Slytherin. The Slytherins tried with all their might but were unable to close the gap, leaving Ravenclaw with their first win!

If you happened to miss the award ceremony, you’ll find it below:


As members of other houses acknowledged, it was a thoroughly deserved win. Proof of how committed the Ravenclaws were to winning can be found in the example set by RiverNimbus11252, the Ravenclaw who earned the most house points of any Pottermore.com member during the fifth Pottermore.com House Cup Championship. Ravenclaw’s commitment to winning the House Cup was also evident in the many quirky and creative videos they created for house pride week – perhaps these inspired fellow house members to work extra hard for those important house points.

The Pottermore team would like to congratulate Ravenclaw for their unfaltering determination to win their first Pottermore House Cup Championship. The question now is: will they be able to retain it? Points were re-set on Sunday, and house members can already be found raising their wands and concocting potions. Your efforts throughout the coming months will decide the winners of the sixth Pottermore House Cup Championship. Will you help your house to victory?

Happy birthday Fred and George!

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We have a feeling that Fred and George really enjoyed having their birthdays on April Fool’s Day, since the pair were so partial to pranks.

The twins pulled off many practical jokes over the years – testing out Ton-Tongue Toffee on the unsuspecting Dudley, sending dragon dung to Percy’s in-tray, and turning Ron’s teddy bear into a spider to name a few – so to celebrate the birthday of the mischievous pair, we’re asking you to tell us about the funniest April Fool’s trick that you’ve played on someone.

Tell us by writing a comment beneath the Pottermore.com entry on Fred and George, on this Facebook post if you have an account or on Twitter with the hashtag #FredAndGeorge.

Spring has sprung on Pottermore.com!

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'… the days became cloudless and sultry, and all anybody felt like doing was strolling into the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake.'

'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'


Whether you live in London or in Patagonia – where the 2014 Quidditch World Cup will be taking place – you may feel a light breeze and a desire to roll up your sleeves next time you visit the Pottermore.com homepage because spring has arrived on the map!

The snow has melted, paving the way for a renewed burst of life, bringing you some colourful new details we hope you enjoy, including birds, butterflies, flowers and even a unicorn.

Head to your homepage now to enjoy the spring atmosphere.

Ravenclaw's prize as winners of the fifth Pottermore House Cup

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As winners of the fifth Pottermore House Cup Championship, Ravenclaw will enjoy 24 hours of early access to the final instalment of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when it becomes available on Pottermore.com.

In the meantime, we’ve created some wonderful background images for the winning house that we hope will remind proud Ravenclaws of the glory they achieved for their house.

Ravenclaws from the Pottermore team are already proudly displaying the image on their computers around the office!

Download your Ravenclaw background image:


Which team will you be supporting in the 2014 Quidditch World Cup?

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As revealed in J.K. Rowling’s exclusive writing on the Quidditch World Cup 1990-2014 on Pottermore.com, 16 countries have made it through to the finals of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, which begin this month.

Which team will you be supporting in this year’s tournament? Nigeria or Norway, the two highest ranked teams? Or will you be cheering for Liechtenstein, who beat the runners-up from 2010, China, in the qualifiers? Don’t forget that Bulgaria has a secret weapon in Viktor Krum, who has come out of retirement to try to lead the team to victory!

Vote in the poll below to let us know!

Somewhere new to visit in Diagon Alley…

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If you’re strolling down Diagon Alley later this week, keep an eye out for a location that is about to be unlocked. You may find it worth visiting if you want to stay in the know about this year’s most exciting Quidditch event!

New by J.K. Rowling: live coverage of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup.

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Hot off the press! Reporting from the Patagonian desert for the Daily Prophet, Ginny Potter brings you the latest news of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup.

Visit the Daily Prophet offices in Diagon Alley, recently opened on Pottermore.com, to read all about the opening ceremony of the tournament, and why it is bound to reignite the debate about restricting mascots ‘to herbivores, creatures smaller than a cow and nothing that breathes fire’.

Find out why the Argentinian Council of Magic has come under fire from Chief Consulting Magizoologist, Rolf Scamander, and read his exclusive interview with the Daily Prophet.

You can also read the report from the official Daily Prophet Quidditch correspondent, Ginny Potter, about the eventful first match of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup between Norway and Ivory Coast, which was played on Sunday. The last time these two teams met, the match lasted for five days. Find out which team was victorious this time around, and read more post-game analysis.

Visit the Daily Prophet offices in Diagon Alley on Pottermore.com to read this exclusive writing by J.K. Rowling. Remember to keep an eye out for more reports from the Patagonian desert!

Visit Pottermore.com now!

Revisit the event that Gryffindors obsessed over during their Easter holidays

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"The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The third-years had never had so much homework. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse, and he wasn’t the only one.
 ‘Call this a holiday!’ Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. ‘The exams are ages away, what’re they playing at?’"

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


If you’re more fortunate than Harry and his classmates and have a revision-free Easter holiday, why not revisit the event that Gryffindors obsessed over during the Easter holidays in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?


"Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall next day to enormous applause. Harry couldn’t help grinning broadly as he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were clapping them, too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. Harry noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual.
Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the pitch before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.
‘Good luck, Harry!’ called Cho Chang. Harry felt himself blushing. 
‘OK ... no wind to speak of ... sun’s a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it ... ground’s fairly hard, good, that’ll give us a fast kick-off ...’
Wood paced the pitch, staring around with the team behind him. Finally they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance, and the rest of the school spill onto the lawn. 
‘Changing rooms,’ said Wood tersely.
None of them spoke as they changed into their scarlet robes. Harry wondered if they were feeling like he was: as though he’d eaten something extremely wriggly for breakfast. In what seemed like no time at all, Wood was saying, ‘OK, it’s time, let’s go ...’
They walked out onto the pitch to a tidal wave of noise. Three- quarters of the crowd were wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them or brandishing banners with slogans such as ‘GO GRYFFINDOR!’ and ‘LIONS FOR THE CUP!’ Behind the Slytherin goalposts, however, two hundred people were wearing green; the silver serpent of Slytherin glittered on their flags, and Professor Snape sat in the very front row, wearing green like everyone else, and a very grim smile.
‘And here are the Gryffindors!’ yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. ‘Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best side Hogwarts has seen in a good few years –’
Lee’s comments were drowned by a tide of ‘boos’ from the Slytherin end. ‘And here come the Slytherin team, led by captain Flint. He’s made some changes in the line-up and seems to be going for size rather than skill –’

More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Harry, however, thought Lee had a point. Malfoy was easily the smallest person on the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous. 
‘Captains, shake hands!’ said Madam Hooch.
Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other’s hands very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other’s fingers. ‘Mount your brooms!’ said Madam Hooch. ‘Three ... two ... one ...’
The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. Harry felt his hair fly back off his forehead; his nerves left him in the thrill of the flight; he glanced around, saw Malfoy on his tail, and sped off in search of the Snitch…"


The Harry Potter eBooks and digital audio books are available from the Pottermore Shop; so whether you’re making a long journey or would simply like to enjoy a good book, make this Easter magical with the Harry Potter stories.

Which Quidditch team mascot would you choose?

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If you’ve been reading the new exclusive writing by J.K. Rowling on Pottermore.com about the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, you will have seen that the countries competing in the first week’s tournament each brought mascots with them for the opening display.

If you had a Quidditch team and were in charge of picking a mascot, what would you decide on? Would you choose a gloomy, oversized Augurey, like the Liechtenstein team mascot Hans? Or would you want to be represented by a creature from your country, like the African team Yumboes? Or, as the Haitian team did for this year’s Quidditch World Cup, would you risk it all and bring Dark creatures like Inferi?

Comment beneath the Moment ‘The Golden Stadium’, on our Facebook post if you are over 13, or Tweet us on Twitter, and let us know which creature you would choose!

To remind yourself of all the possibilities, visit Pottermore.com and read J.K. Rowling’s exclusive writing on the Quidditch World Cup (1990 – 2014), or visit the Daily Prophet offices in Diagon Alley to read Ginny Potter’s reports on the opening ceremony and first match of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup.

You can find more information about magical creatures in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by the famous Magizoologist Newt Scamander. The eBook is available to buy exclusively from the Pottermore Shop.

What you can do to help moderate Pottermore.com to create a good experience for everyone.

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At Pottermore, we are continuing to work hard to create a safe environment for Harry Potter fans of all ages to share their thoughts and experiences of reading or listening to the Harry Potter stories, and exploring Pottermore.com.

In addition to our experienced moderation team, we are also lucky to have such a passionate community (that’s you) who we rely on to help us, by reporting inappropriate behaviour or inappropriate content on the site.

Today we wanted to provide some guidance for members of the Pottermore community, and explain a little more about how you can help us by reporting certain content, and also explain what should not be reported.  This is so that our moderators can really focus on the right areas and give all our Pottermore.com members a better overall experience. 

What should you report? 

If you see content that is offensive, alarming, or insulting – in itself or to other users - or that otherwise violates Pottermore.com’s Terms and Conditions, we would like you to use the ‘Report this’ function.

What should you avoid reporting? 

If there is content that you only disagree with, but that is not actually offensive or inappropriate, we ask that you do not report this. Pottermore is a global community with users of all ages and it is characterised by a diversity of opinion. For example, you may disagree with another user’s assertion that their house is the best Hogwarts house but this is not something that should be reported. 

On the whole, we are lucky to have so many members of the Pottermore community who help us keep Pottermore.com safe by using the reporting function responsibly.  However, occasionally we find that some of our members use the reporting function incorrectly by repeatedly and falsely reporting content as inappropriate in order to disadvantage other users.   

When our moderators suspect a member of the community of misusing the reporting function in this way, they will be contacted by Owl Notification and email first. If the behaviour doesn’t cease then this may result in the user’s account being suspended.

What happens when you report something?

When inappropriate behaviour, content or imagery is reported by a Pottermore.com member, it will be removed from the site straight away and then referred to our moderation team for evaluation.  

If the moderation team believes that the content is actually okay, it will usually reappear on the site relatively soon (though at busy times this process may take a few days so please do bear with us).   

If the moderation team agree that the reported content was indeed inappropriate, then – depending on the severity of the offence – a message will be sent to the user via Owl Notification and email to advise what the inappropriate content was. For example, if a user simply repeats a message a few times in the Great Hall, even if they do it involuntarily, the messages would be viewed as ‘spam’ and would be removed. The user responsible would be informed, though this would not necessarily result in suspension. 

Make sure the email address you provided when you signed up to Pottermore.com is correct, otherwise we won’t be able to email you in such instances. You can check your email in Account Settings.

Some reasons why Pottermore.com members might have their accounts temporarily suspended

In addition to misuse of the reporting function, there are other actions that can potentially lead to account suspensions, of which some users may be unaware.  We’d like to share some of the main reasons with you so that this doesn’t accidentally happen to you.  

  • Directing users to external sites
    • Sharing links or giving instructions on how to get to external sites is not permitted on Pottermore.com - without exception. We do this to protect the safety of our users.  
  • Creating multiple accounts
    • As you can read in the Terms and Conditions, Pottermore.com users should only hold one account per person. Users that discuss holding multiple accounts will have their secondary account(s) suspended.  There are several reasons for this; for example, if a user has multiple accounts they could potentially duel with themselves to earn house points for their preferred house, or send themselves potions ingredients as gifts, which would not be in the fair play spirit of Pottermore. 
    • The creation of a new account whilst your account is temporarily or permanently suspended due to inappropriate behaviour is also not permitted.
  • Spamming
    • Repeatedly flooding the community areas with the same or similar messages has the potential to lead to account suspension. 

Suspensions are always issued by a human moderator, and are never issued automatically. The moderation team will first warn the user via Owl Notification as well as via email. Ensure that you check your Owl Notifications and emails regularly so that you don’t miss any communication from the moderation team.

If you did something wrong unintentionally, don’t worry! Please contact the customer service team and they’ll be able to review your case.  

We hope this article is helpful to members of the Pottermore community. We have also created a Pottermore ‘Code of Conduct’ with more information to help you understand how we would like our members who are enjoying this unique gift from J.K. Rowling to behave whilst on site.




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