Wednesday, 25 July 2012

Help at Hogwarts

"Help is always given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."- Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

 

The Books so Far...


In total there are 15 books to find so far, some of which you will buy in Diagon Alley. The two that most people struggle to find are "Notable Magical Names of Our Time" and "Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century". I'm told that one of them, I think the latter, used to be found in a dueling section, however since it is currently unavailable the book is now found in the Library scene.  How true that rumor is, I am uncertain, but both of those books are definitely in the Library scene now.

Earning Housepoints

Currently the one of the only way to earn your house some points is to brew some potions and , each potion earns you a different amount of points, based on difficulty. The Sleeping Draught (pictured above) earns you the most at 11 points for one made but it also means 55 minutes of waiting around.

POTIONS IN ORDER OF POINTS

Cure for Boils earns you 3HP
INGREDIENTS: Horned Slugs, Porcupine Quills and Snake Fangs


Antidote to Common Poisons
INGREDIENTS: Bezoar, Mistletoe Berries and Unicorn Horn

Forgetfulness Potion earns you 9HP
INGREDIENTS: Lethe River Water, Valerian Sprigs and Mistletoe Berries


Herbicide earns you 9HP
INGREDIENTS: Flobberworm Mucus, Horklump Juice and Spines of Lionfish

Wideye or Awakening Potion earns you 9HP
INGREDIENTS: Dried Billywig Stings, Snakes Fangs and Wolfsbane


Sleeping Draught earns you 11HP 
INGREDIENTS: Lavender, Valerian Sprigs and  Flobberworm Mucus

Chocolate Frog Cards So Far...



In total, in the first book, there are in fact 12 Chocolate Frog Cards. You will only be able to collect 11 of these becase the Chocolate Frog Card that is on the table in the Gryffindor common room in the chapter "Nicolas Flamel is Finally Revealed" is another Dumbledore Card, which you would already have if you collected the first one (on the Hogwarts Express inside the trunk under the table).

Pottermore Trunk Collection


In Pottermore, as you journey through the chapters, you will discover that you can collect certain objects you will find in the scenes and they will be stored in your trunk.

You can collect books, chocolate frog cards as well as random objects. Some items you purchase at Diagon Alley will also be stored in your trunk (Scales, Telescope and Phials).

Here I will list, in order, the objects you can collect and where to find them.

  • Alarm Clock
  • Salt and Pepper Pots
  • Postcard from London
  • Hammer and Nails
  • Seashell
  • Slimy Seaweed
  • Candle
  • Old Cup
  • Shopping List
  • Vault Key
  • Prefect Badge
  • Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans
  • Rock Cake
  • Remembrall
  • Golden Snitch
  • Wizard's Chess Set
  • Dragon Egg
  • Winged Key


The Alarm Clock is the first object you will discover and can be found in the first scene of Chapter Two, it is on the floor of the cupboard under the stairs and you will need to zoom in once to be able to retrieve it.

Salt and Pepper Pots are found in the first scene of Chapter Three along with the Postcard from London and the Hammer and Nails. Salt and Pepper pots are on the table, the Postcard is stuck on the door of the fridge and the Hammer and Nails are found resting against the wall in the room beyond the kitchen.

The Seashell and the Slimy Seaweed are found in the next scene. The shell is at the bottom of the screen beside the hermit crab and if you zoom into the Hut on the Rock you can collect the seaweed.

The Candle is inside the Hut, the first section of Chapter Four, and is found sitting on the mantle of the fireplace.

The Old Cup is waiting in the next scene, the second part of Chapter Four and is on the floor of the hut, beside the fire.

The next scene is Diagon Alley, crowded with people, not the other scene of Diagon Alley where you can visit the shops. In this scene you will find the Shopping List on the floor once you zoom in, and when you zoom in once more you can click the door of Gringotts and enter, which is where you will receive your Vault Key.


Your next item, the Prefect Badge isn't found until Chapter Six on Platform Nine and Three-Quaters and is poking out of the front pocket of a satchel atop a pile of luggage.

Once on the Train you will find the Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans on the table. Look carefully around this scene because this is where you will find your first two Chocolate Frog Cards.

The Rock Cake is found at Hagrid's Hut where you will also find a few potion ingredients you will be albe to put to use in potion making.

Go to the Flying Lesson to find the Remembrall, which you will find in the air, just below Harry's hand.

The Golden Snitch is found at the Quidditch match and is something that you can't continue without, it is easy to see, you just have to catch it.

The Wizard's Chess Set is found in the Christmas scene inside a cracker on the table, be sure to have a good look around this room too, there are other things to collect here too.

The Dragon Egg is heating in the fire of Hagrid'd Hut.

Find the right Winged Key down the Trapdoor and it will be stored in you trunk.


REMEMBER: You should also try and collect the Chocolate Frog cards, the books and the Money.

Chapter One

  • Flower Heads
  • Honey
  • Pruning Shears
  • Dried Nettles
  • Rose thorns
  • Bertie Bott's Sprout - Flavoured Bean  (Come back after Chapter 4)
  • Cornelius Agrippa Chocolate Frog Card (Come back after Chapter 4)

 

Chapter Two

  • Newt Scamander Chocolate Frog Card
  • WIN: Bertie Bott's Sugared Violet - Flavoured Bean at the Pudding Game.

Chapter Three

  • Bertie Bott Chocolate Frog Card
  • Bertie Bott's Pepper - Flavoured Bean
  • Bertie Bott's Baked Bean - Flavoured Bean
  • Bertie Bott's Chocolate - Flavoured Bean
  • Bertie Bott's Toast - Flavoured Bean
  • Horklump Juice
  • WIN: Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests in the Gnome Game


Chapter Four
  • SOLUTION: Letters From School Game, Click here
  • Ignatia Wildsmith Chocolate Frog Card
  • Scullery Key
  • Fire Tongs
  • Floo Powder
  • Book: One Minute Feasts - It's Magic
  • Book: Enchantment in Baking
  • Book: Charm Your Own Cheese
  • 5 Galleons
  • A Mask
  • Dragon Liver
  • Peppermint
  • Book: Magical Me
  • Miranda Goshawk Chocolate Frog Card
  • Book: Encyclopedia of Toadstools
  • Hairpin (Found in Blonde woman's hair)
By: Nawal Chaudhry

Chamber of Secrets


Have you explored Borgin and Burkes....

The first chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are now available and there are many things to explore, find and see.

Have you discovered everything at Borgin and Burkes yet? Have you seen the Hand of Glory?



Places - Diagon Alley

‘He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered – it wriggled – in the middle, a small hole appeared – it grew wider and wider – a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway on to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.
‘Welcome,’ said Hagrid, ‘to Diagon Alley.’


- Chapter Five, Diagon Alley, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Diagon Alley is a bustling cobbled street that hosts a number of mysterious and wonderful shops for witches and wizards. Harry discovers some of these on his first visit with Hagrid.

Harry is able to buy everything from his Hogwarts list at Diagon Alley and it is also here, from Eeylops Owl Emporium, that Hagrid buys Harry his pet owl, Hedwig, as a present for his eleventh birthday.



Pottermore Facebook page goes live

Today, we officially launch our Pottermore Facebook page.

The Pottermore Facebook page is a place for all Pottermore fans aged 13 and over to follow the latest Pottermore news, updates and information.

We hope to cultivate a vibrant, friendly and fun Facebook community and look forward to posting Pottermore material that everyone can share, comment on and discuss.

Our Facebook timeline includes details of the history and conception of Pottermore so check out the page to catch up on any Pottermore news you may have missed out on.

If you haven’t already liked us on Facebook, visit the official Pottermore Facebook page and join us.


                  

Quidditch 

'Harry learnt that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.'

- Chapter Eleven, Quidditch, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

We wanted to know, if you could choose, what position would you play in Quidditch?

The first chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are now available to explore

We are pleased to announce that the first chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are now available to explore on Pottermore.

There’s plenty to discover and enjoy. Read more exclusive writing from J.K. Rowling; view The Burrow for the first time and de-gnome the garden. Collect your second-year shopping list, find more Galleons and visit Diagon Alley, where all Pottermore students can now purchase their second-year school books.

The Chamber of Secrets is being launched in three installments; with the next installment following in the coming weeks. We will keep you updated on the Pottermore Insider, as well as the Pottermore Gateway and the house noticeboards.

In the meantime, we hope that you enjoy discovering the brand new chapters on Pottermore.



Characters - The Weasley Twins

'‘Fred, you next,’ the plump woman said.
‘I’m not Fred, I’m George,’ said the boy. ‘Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can’t you
tell I’m George?’
‘Sorry, George, dear.’
‘Only joking, I am Fred,’ said the boy, and off he went.'


- Chapter Six, The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Harry first meets Fred and George at King’s Cross station, when the Weasley family help him to locate platform nine and three-quarters. The twins help Harry to board the train with his school trunk, before recognising who Harry is.

Fred and George Weasley are well known for their antics in school, but are also very popular amongst their fellow Hogwarts students. And it seems that Pottermore users are firm fans of the twins as well.

Congratulations, Slytherin on winning the inaugural Pottermore House Cup and the Secret Bonus!

Pottermore has witnessed some frenzied brewing and duelling over the last few days and we’d like to congratulate Slytherin on winning the inaugural Pottermore House Cup. But I do wish my house; Gryffindor had won......

Commiserations to the other houses, but your chance will come again as competition for the next Pottermore House Cup is already underway!

As part of their reward for winning the Pottermore House Cup, Slytherin will be able to explore the new chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 24 hours ahead of the other houses.

Please be aware that only students who were in Slytherin when the inaugural Pottermore House Cup was awarded, will get early access.

For students who are not in Slytherin, don’t despair. The first chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will be available for everyone immediately after this 24-hour period.

From then on, all users will be able to explore the new chapters, discover new Moments and continue their journey on Pottermore.


The Great Hall celebrates the award of the inaugural Pottermore House Cup

We are delighted to announce that you can visit the Great Hall to view the award ceremony for the inaugural Pottermore House Cup.

Thank you to all houses for making this such a spirited contest. 

We will be congratulating the winner in further detail, here on the Seven Broomsticks tomorrow but in the meantime, good luck to all and enjoy the ceremony!

Keeper, Chaser, Beater or Seeker?

‘’Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goalposts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team,’ Harry reeled off.
‘Very good,’ said Wood.
‘Er – have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?’ Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.
‘Never at Hogwarts. We’ve had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker.’’


- Chapter Ten, Hallowe’en, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

In Chapter Ten of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry learns about the Bludgers, the Quaffle, the Golden Snitch, and the various positions on a Quidditch team. We’ve seen lots of comments on Pottermore about Quidditch; given the choice, which position would you most like to play?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets news

Over the past few weeks on the Seven Broomsticks, we’ve been letting you know about their progress developing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Pottermore.

We’re excited to announce that the first chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are coming very soon to Pottermore.

We will reveal more about this next week here on the Seven Broomsticks , as well as the Pottermore Gateway and the new Pottermore house noticeboards.

7 books, 7 days, 7 chances

7 books, 7 days, 7 chances



The eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted the hidden link in our ‘You ask, we answer’ blog post from
19 July, which took you to an interview J.K. Rowling gave in 2000.

In that interview was some interesting information about a Magical Quill, located in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Magical Quill detects the birth of a magical child and writes their name down in a large book. Every year, Professor McGonagall checks the book and sends owls to the children who are turning eleven, to inform them that they have a place at Hogwarts.

Each day for seven days, from 31 July to 6 August, we will be placing a clue on the Pottermore homepage to help you locate The Magical Quill. If you find it, you’ll have the chance to gain early access to Pottermore.

Pottermore at LeakyCon



Last week, we were invited to give a guest presentation at LeakyCon 2011 in Orlando, USA. This gathering of over three thousand Potter fans was a fantastic stage for us to showcase some of the completed areas of Pottermore and – although we started with a few technical gremlins – we really enjoyed being able to reveal the site. It was great to preview some of the functionality, give glimpses of the new J.K. Rowling content, and show behind-the-scenes artwork (such as the early concept sketches for Ollivanders, above) to such an enthusiastic audience.

The whole time was hugely enjoyable for us and we cannot thank everyone at LeakyCon enough; the event was brilliantly organized and great fun. We would also like to thank everyone who took the time to talk to us while we were there; we hope we answered all your questions and, remember, you can find a detailed question and answer list in Pottermore Insider



Potter fan sites from around the globe helped us with the Pottermore name reveal, and now those same fan sites have been kind enough to tell us what their readers most want to know about the Pottermore experience.

While we can’t give everything away (even though we know you’d like us to!), we’d really love to answer some of your questions …

Will Pottermore be available in multiple languages?
Yes. Initially, Pottermore will be available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. We are aiming to introduce more languages in the future – including Japanese and Korean later this year. You’ll be able to keep track of language availability here on the Insider.

Will Pottermore be free?
Yes, access to Pottermore will be completely free; you won’t have to pay anything to use the site. The Pottermore Shop will have items in it that you’ll be able to buy, but choosing to purchase something – or not – won't affect your progress through the story as the Shop sits outside of the online reading experience.

Can you please explain what you mean by 'online reading experience'? How much will I, as a Pottermore user, be able to affect the story? After all, hasn't Harry's story already been told?
The best way to think of Pottermore is as an interactive, illustrated companion to the books. J.K. Rowling wanted to create a site where her stories could live on and where readers could explore them in a new way. In addition to discovering new material from J.K. Rowling about Harry’s world, you’ll be able to interact with key story Moments (the Sorting Hat sequence, for example) and upload your own comments, thoughts and artwork for all the characters, objects and places that you come across.

So Pottermore isn't a massively multiplayer online role-playing game like World of Warcraft, or a social network game like Farmville?
No. While there will be some simple games you can play (you'll be able to brew potions, for example), Pottermore is very much about the books: being able to experience Harry’s story in a new way and discover all the additional information that J.K. Rowling has written.

Isn't there a House Cup that we compete for by earning points?
Yes, there is. As you progress through the story you'll also be able to earn house points – and once you get to the end of the first book you can carry on earning points to help your house win the House Cup.

Would you say Pottermore is a social network for fans of Harry Potter?
Not really. Pottermore isn’t trying to compete with sites like Facebook or the Harry Potter forums and fan sites that are already out there. Once you’ve signed up to Pottermore you’ll be able to find and invite your Facebook friends (if you're over thirteen) and leave comments in your house common room and the Great Hall, but Pottermore isn't a social networking site where you can share personal information or chat in forums. 




In the meantime, we've got a gift for you - official Pottermore wallpaper for your desktop, tablet or smartphone. You can download the different versions by clicking on the links below:

Desktop: 800x600 | 1024x768 | 1280x1024 | 1600x1200 | 1680x1050 | 1920x1200
Tablet: 1024x1024
Smartphone: 640x960

We hope you like it!



Welcome to Pottermore’s unofficial blog, the Seven Broomsticks

Written by members of Pottermore, the Seven Broomsticks is here to bring you the latest news and updates on all things Pottermore, and to answer any questions you may have.

We’ll be here with you as we get ready for 31 July, and I’ll be posting fairly regularly, so remember to check back every now and then, or add me to your Google+ account(Nawal Chaudhry) so you don’t miss out on anything.

If you're looking for even more Pottermore, you can also follow the team on Twitter @Pottermore.