POLL RESULTS: Did you get into the House you expected on Pottermore?

Once again, thank you for joining in on my poll. Here are the results:


48% - Yes
52% - No


It's a close one for this poll. ^_^

POLL RESULTS: Has your owl arrived?

First, thank you to everyone who answered my poll. Here are the results:


76% - Yes
23% - No




^_^

BETA TIPS: Brewing Potions...EXTENDED

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.

Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^

I've already made my first batch of tips on brewing potions, but I realized that I also have a few tips on how to do the steps specifically. So here are some of my extended tips:

8. One tricky part I found was in POURING the ingredients into the mortar or cauldron, which is the case for the following:

Most of the time, my mistake is that I pour in too much of the ingredients. And so, after much trial and error (I've hit the BACK button so many times), I've found it helpful to wait for the ingredient count to register before continuing to pour in some more. So wait for the count at the side of the mortar or cauldron before continuing to put in some more ingredients.

And again, if you put in TOO MUCH, just hit the BACK button. 

9. Another problem I had the first time I brewed a difficult potion, was the step to HEAT the potion GENTLY. The first mistake I made was to heat it TOO MUCH. Once I made this mistake, I couldn't do anything anymore since you CAN'T COOL DOWN the cauldron once it has OVERHEATED. Another mistake I made was to HEAT IT TO GREEN then leave the heat on until it OVERHEATS again. 

Now after trial and error AGAIN, I realized that the BEST WAY to heat the cauldron gently, is by ALTERNATING between the MEDIUM HEAT and NO HEAT AT ALL. So once your potion turns GREEN, you can alternate between the two so that the potion STAYS GREEN and within the marker of the cauldron's temperature. 

So, that's all for now. Hope I was helpful to you! ^_^

POTTERMORE BETA UPDATE as of Sept. 12

BETA NEWS FLASH!


I just finished brewing my first potion for today (Sleeping Draught), when I noticed that I was awarded 11 POINTS instead of five! 


Then I was also curious about what other improvements Pottermore has made, and decided to check if they already solved the issue on the TIME-TURNER cheat for potions. So I tried the cheat AND IT DIDN"T WORK...well, either that or I did it wrong. 


Either way, it's good to know that Pottermore is listening to our suggestions and that changes have already been made.


I'm looking forward to see what other changes they can make. ^_^


What changes have YOU noticed?

Beta Tips: Brewing Potions

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.

Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^

It's officially been a week since I got my OWL from Pottermore. Since then, I've been working hard to help my House (Go Slytherin!) earn House points by brewing potions as that is the only way to earn points for now. After a week, I've come by a few things that might be helpful to those who will be brewing potions for the first time.


So here are my BREWING TIPS:


1. The FIRST and MOST OBVIOUS thing to do would be to PRACTICE potions. Pottermore only allows us to practice using the Cure for Boils. It may be one of the easiest potions to brew, but it allows you to practice how to place ingredients into the mortar or cauldron, crush ingredients, heat the cauldron, stir, and wave your wand. It also makes you aware that there is a time limit to completing all the steps before it brews and allows you to go on to the second half. So before you attempt to brew a potion, practice all you can!


2. After practicing, you can now brew your first potion, and that potion should be the CURE FOR BOILS since you were able to already practice with it already. 


3. In brewing potions, several things can go wrong. A few things that could go wrong, which happened to me, is that YOU RUN OUT OF TIME, PUT IN THE WRONG NUMBER OF INGREDIENTS, OVERHEAT YOUR CAULDRON, OR DON'T FOLLOW THE STEPS IN ORDER. If any of these things happen just HIT THE "BACK" BUTTON. This will allow you to go back to POTIONS and start brewing the SAME POTION from scratch. So far, I am not sure if this step still decreases the ingredients in your trunk, but I think it doesn't. This way, you don't get deduction for your points and you don't waste your ingredients. 


4. But let's say you don't mind FAILING in brewing a potion, you can still gain at ONE POINT for trying to brew a hard potion but failing. Just make sure you DO NOT MELT YOUR CAULDRON because this will cause you to LOSE FIVE POINTS. Your cauldron will melt if YOU OVERHEAT YOUR CAULDRON. If you find that it has already been overheated, DO NOT WAVE YOUR WAND and JUSt HIT THE "BACK" BUTTON.


5. The BEST WAY to avoid any mishap from happening is to carefully READ THE STEPS FIRST before starting. The time does not start during the first time you read the steps, so try to go through each step and VISUALIZE yourself doing the steps. 


6. While reading the steps and visualizing them, it would also be very helpful if you FAMILIARIZE yourself with WHAT THE INGREDIENTS LOOK LIKE. This way you will know what ingredients you'll need to pick up first. Also, try to know which of the ingredients are just PICKED UP and which ones are POURED INTO the mortar or cauldron. I find it harder to POUR IN ingredients since it's a bit tricky to control how much of it goes in.


7. If you want to try to brew every potion in the potions book, try to do THE SAME POTION OVER AND OVER before you go on to the next potion. Doing a potion several times consecutively makes it easier to remember the steps. I have found that after doing a potion for the fourth time, I only read the steps once and can complete them without looking at the instructions again. Also, your time improves since you know how to do each step already. When you've done one several times, try another potion since not all the ingredients are used in the easy potions.


So, those are my BASIC TIPS FOR BREWING POTIONS. I hope you find them helpful. If you know of other helpful things for potions, just leave a comment. ^_^

BETA CASE FILE #6: Brewing Potions

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.

Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^

So we've talked about Hidden Objects, New Material, the artwork of the Philosopher's Stone, the Great Hall and the common room. The next thing on my list of things to talk about would be on POTIONS.

After finding all the hidden objects, the only way to earn House points would be to brew yourself some potions since Wizard dueling is still down. The first thing anyone should do is to PRACTICE brewing so that they won't lose any points if they make a mistake. Brewing really takes a lot of practice since you need to consider so many things, from WHAT the ingredients LOOK like, to the INSTRUCTIONS that must be followed step-by-step, how to PICK things up, how to MODERATE the temperature, AND the TIME LIMIT. So without practice, A LOT of things could go wrong. Unfortunately, the only potion that we can practice on is the Cure for Boils, which I also find to be the easiest. Many of the people I know stick to the Cure of Boils for this reason since all the potions only lets each one earn five points.

So let's get to some of the suggestions I have regarding potions. 

FIRST, since the potions vary in their level of difficulty, I wish that the amount of points we get to earn also differed. The easy potions can still let us earn five points, but the hard potions should let us earn at least TEN POINTS. This way, it would be more rewarding and interesting to try out the hard potions. And it would help us earn more points for our Houses.

SECOND, one of the reasons why the difficult potions are, well, difficult, is because there are so many steps to complete within the SAME TIME FRAME as the easy potions. While I know that potions should be challenging, it should be at least possible for EVERYONE, young and old (remember, the site is also open to kids). So I am suggesting that the difficult potions be given at least a few more seconds in order to complete the instructions. If this can't be done, maybe the instructions could be left open for us to easily access it, or at least the time could be PAUSED whenever we take a peek at the steps. I don't know about you, but I start to get all panicky when I'm not sure about the next step and try to open up the instructions again.

Now,some of the problems I've experienced while brewing are the POTIONS LOOP, where you finish the first half of the steps, click the "Come Back Later" button, leave the page to find that your progress wasn't recorded and you need to do it again, AND; the latest issue I had was while waiting for my Forgetfulness Potion to brew, the Pottermore site was suddenly UNAVAILABLE, so when it finally became available, my potion was brewing past its time limit so I was told I failed. Given all these possible glitches, I am always afraid to click the "Come Back Later" button and just leave the window open and wait.


And LASTLY, I hope Pottermore gets to fix the issue about people cheating on the TIME for brewing. Some people no longer wait for the 85 minutes to be up, but rather, they would change their time settings to advance the time so that they would no longer wait. 


I'm looking forward to see what improvements they'll make before the site goes public. Before that, I'll just keep on brewing. 

BETA CASE FILE #5: Pottermore Unavailable Issues

This may be my shortest entry ever. Just one thought for Pottermore...


NEXT TIME when you decide to be "unavailable" to us all, maybe you could, oh, I don't know... POST a WARNING on your Pottermore Insider. That way I won't bother brewing a potion, wait for 95 MINUTES, just to find out that after SUCCESSFULLY brewing it, I don't even get any points for it.


That way, no one would get disappointed and will leave the site alone while you fix things up. 


Just saying...

BETA CASE FILE #4: Great Hall and Common Room

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.

Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^

It's been almost a week since I first entered Pottermore. I've been doing my best to help Slytherin earn House points. I've found all of the hidden objects, practiced casting spells to prepare for when dueling is up, and of course, brewing, brewing, and some more brewing. 

Since like many of us, I have to deal with real life, and so, I cannot brew potions all day. But it helps to be aware of how much I need to make up for the time I couldn't help Slytherin out. And so, every now and then, I sneak a peek at the Great Hall to see the stats and monitor which House is currently in the lead. During my eight hours at work, I look at the Great Hall at least three times. I also drop inside our common room to make sure everyone is doing fine and that there are people trying to earn us some more points.


So, with the frequency of my visits to the Great Hall and the Slytherin common room, a few things have come to my attention.


FIRST, I don't know about you, but when I think of the Great Hall and the common rooms, I imagine that it is THE place in Hogwarts where the students get to mingle with each other. We get to talk to our Housemates in our common room, while we get to talk to our friends in other Houses while in the Great Hall. So I was a little disappointed when I realized that TALKING would be a bit difficult  with just the current COMMENTS section. I'm not sure if this feature was made in order for us to communicate with each other, but it seems that is exactly what it's being used for now. So I think, Pottermore should really find a way to make it easier for us to communicate with each other while in these areas. I know they said that they are not a social networking site like Twitter or Facebook, but wouldn't it be AMAZING to get to talk to other Potterheads from all over the world? And we also need to talk to each other in order to get help in earning points. I mean, they allowed us to add each other as friends, so why not let us talk to each other easily. One way they could do this is by letting us reply to comments and get notifications when someone replies or mentions us anywhere on Pottermore. I find it very hard to scroll down all the comments just to check if someone answered a question I posted. 


SECOND, I wish the Great Hall and the common room weren't just pages on Pottermore, but a more interactive area, like a room that we can explore, similar to the feature found in J.K. Rowling's Official Website. After reading the description of the Slytherin common room in the welcome letter, I was expecting to be able to roam around, click on a few doors, and explore the place. The same thing for the Great Hall, I was expecting that we could click on the tables where the different Houses would sit, and get to interact with our friends in those Houses. I was also hoping that the ceiling of the Great Hall would be shown changing depending on the weather or season. It was kind of sad to see that it was just a fixed page. 


To sum it all up, I just really want Pottermore to offer more interactive and social features on their website. Harry Potter has such a HUGE fan base, and I'm sure a lot of us (like me) are really interested to get to interact with our friends about something that we love. If they are worried about CHILD SAFETY, then they could still do what they do with our comments and moderate them. Or, if they could include a chat feature for friends, then they could limit this to those users who are above 18 or 21. But if minors even get to use Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites, I don't think Pottermore should worry themselves over this and just give us the social features. I mean, kids do have parents anyway, so they could be the one's to moderate what's happening.




Again, just my thoughts. Tell me what you think. ^_~

BETA CASE FILE #3: The Philosopher's Stone

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.

Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^

I'm sure that for most of us, when we got our owls, one of the few things we wanted to get done first were to get our WANDS and of course, GET SORTED. And I am one of the "most of us". As soon as I signed in on Pottermore, within two hours I was already with wand and already sorted into SLYTHERIN.

So with my trunk, my wand, and my Slytherin spirit, I prepared to continue on to my magical journey. Now I had to focus on the artwork and details of how Pottermore presented the first book.

The FIRST PROBLEM I encountered was the loading of the page. Pottermore created artwork for every moment of each chapter of the book, and it required Flash Player in order for it to be an interactive experience. If the page did not load properly, you would not be able to collect any of the objects. In my case, the Flash Player took several page refresh to finally load. I don't know if it's because I use a Macbook, but it would be nice if I could find a way to fix it. Weirdly enough, one way I got the page to finally load was by opening the Beta Feedback form, wait for it to load, and then close it. This, of course, is very tedious, especially if I end up doing it for almost all of the chapters. I did inform Pottermore about this problem and they did promise to look into the problem, and really hope they do find a solution.

The SECOND THING I also hope they improve would be the effects. Since I'm sure that MAJORITY of the Pottermore users will be Harry Potter fans who have read the book and/or watched the movies, and some of them (like me) would have read/watched them more than once (seven times for me), going through every chapter should be more interesting than just having artwork. Funny enough, when I first signed in on Pottermore, I plugged in my earphones because I had the expectation that their would be sound effects or at least SOME MUSIC. But to my disappointment, there was NOTHING. Not even the HOOT, a MEOW, or a KOKAK from the animals. While I love the artwork, it gets a bit boring after having found all the hidden objects. Even if they couldn't put music for every chapter, at least some music for the new material. I believe that this would help set the mood and the tone of the moments.

ALSO, I wish that there were some mini-games where we could interact with other players. If Pottermore is concerned about keeping the site child safe, they could limit access to these bonus features to those over 18 or 20.

And LASTLY, a very minor detail, I wish I could see the faces of some of the characters in the artwork. I'd like to see how J.K. Rowling imagined the characters to be like. 

What suggestions do you have? Feel free to tell me ^_~

-- End of Beta Case File --

BETA CASE FILE #2: New Material from Philosopher's Stone

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.

Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^




One of the promises made by J.K. Rowling about Pottermore was that she would be placing new material about some of the characters and aspects not mentioned in the Harry Potter books. This is one of the things I was really looking forward to since I was always curious about the story behind many of the characters, Hogwarts History, and what was happening to everyone else during summer break or when Harry was busy looking for the Horcruxes.


It would be expected that J.K.R. wouldn't place all of her new material in the first book. Since the Philosopher's Stone introduces the magical world of Harry Potter, I expected the new material to do the same thing. They will be revealing more than the books, but not too much to cause us to lose our interest or to decrease our curiosity. 


Among the new material that was released in the first book on Pottermore, my favorite would be the material written on Professor McGonagall. I've always admired her since she reminds me of my favorite teacher, and she is the type of teacher I am trying to be. For a teacher, she is strict when she needs to be, supportive and protective of her students, and well respected by her colleagues and students. When Dumbledore was not around in Hogwarts, she was the next person that Harry trusted and ran to for help. So naturally, I was curious about who she was outside of Hogwarts and the classroom. After reading the new material, J.K.R. gave life to the Professor McGonaggal in a way I never could have thought of myself. Here is what's new from J.K.R.:

Childhood 

Minerva McGonagall was the first child, and only daughter, of a Scottish Presbyterian minister and a Hogwarts-educated witch. She grew up in the Highlands of Scotland in the early twentieth century, and only gradually became aware that there was something strange, both about her own abilities, and her parents’ marriage. 

Minerva’s father, the Reverend Robert McGonagall, had become captivated by the high-spirited Isobel Ross, who lived in the same village. Like his neighbours, Robert believed that Isobel attended a select ladies’ boarding school in England. In fact, when Isobel vanished from her home for months at a time, it was to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that she went. 

Aware that her parents (a witch and wizard) would frown on a connection with the serious young Muggle, Isobel kept their burgeoning relationship a secret. By the time she was eighteen, she had fallen in love with Robert. Unfortunately, she had not found the courage to tell him what she was. 

The couple eloped, to the fury of both sets of parents. Now estranged from her family, Isobel could not bring herself to mar the bliss of the honeymoon by telling her smitten new husband that she had graduated top of her class in Charms at Hogwarts, nor that she had been Captain of the school Quidditch team. Isobel and Robert moved into a manse (minister’s house) on the outskirts of Caithness, where the beautiful Isobel proved surprisingly adept at making the most of the minister’s tiny salary. 

The birth of the young couple’s first child, Minerva, proved both a joy and a crisis. Missing her family, and the magical community she had given up for love, Isobel insisted on naming her newborn daughter after her own grandmother, an immensely talented witch. The outlandish name raised eyebrows in the community in which she lived, and the Reverend Robert McGonagall found it difficult to explain his wife’s choice to his parishioners. Furthermore, he was alarmed by his wife’s moodiness. Friends assured him that women were often emotional after the birth of a baby, and that Isobel would soon be herself again.
Isobel, however, became more and more withdrawn, often secluding herself with Minerva for days at a time. Isobel later told her daughter that she had displayed small, but unmistakable, signs of magic from her earliest hours. Toys that had been left on upper shelves were found in her cot. The family cat appeared to do her bidding before she could talk. Her father’s bagpipes were occasionally heard to play themselves from distant rooms, a phenomenon that made the infant Minerva chuckle. 

Isobel was torn between pride and fear. She knew that she must confess the truth to Robert before he witnessed something that would alarm him. At last, in response to Robert’s patient questioning, Isobel burst into tears, retrieved her wand from the locked box under her bed and showed him what she was.
Although Minerva was too young to remember that night, its aftermath left her with a bitter understanding of the complications of growing up with magic in a Muggle world. Although Robert McGonagall loved his wife no less upon discovering that she was a witch, he was profoundly shocked by her revelation, and by the fact that she had kept such a secret from him for so long. What was more, he, who prided himself on being an upright and honest man, was now drawn into a life of secrecy that was quite foreign to his nature. Isobel explained, through her sobs, that she (and their daughter) were bound by the International Statute of Secrecy, and that they must conceal the truth about themselves, or face the fury of the Ministry of Magic. Robert also quailed at the thought of how the locals - in the main, an austere, straight-laced and conventional breed - would feel about having a witch as their Minister’s wife. 

Love endured, but trust had been broken between her parents, and Minerva, a clever and observant child, saw this with sadness. Two more children, both sons, were born to the McGonagalls, and both, in due course, revealed magical ability. Minerva helped her mother explain to Malcolm and Robert Junior that they must not flaunt their magic, and aided her mother in concealing from their father the accidents and embarrassments their magic sometimes caused. 

Minerva was very close to her Muggle father, whom in temperament she resembled more than her mother. She saw with pain how much he struggled with the family’s strange situation. She sensed, too, how much of a strain it was for her mother to fit in with the all-Muggle village, and how much she missed the freedom of being with her kind, and of exercising her considerable talents.
Minerva never forgot how much her mother cried, when the letter of admittance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry arrived on Minerva’s eleventh birthday; she knew that Isobel was sobbing, not only out of pride, but also out of envy. 

School Career 

As is often the case where the young witch or wizard comes from a family who has struggled with its magical identity, Hogwarts was, for Minerva McGonagall, a place of joyful release and freedom. 

Minerva drew unusual attention to herself on her very first evening, when she was revealed to be a Hatstall. After five and a half minutes, the Sorting Hat, which had been vacillating between the houses of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, placed Minerva in the latter. (In later years, this circumstance was a subject of gentle humour between Minerva and her colleague Filius Flitwick, over whom the Sorting Hat suffered the same confusion, but reached the opposite conclusion. The two Heads of house were amused to think that they might, but for those crucial moments in their youths, have exchanged positions). 

Minerva was quickly recognised as the most outstanding student of her year, with a particular talent for Transfiguration. As she progressed through the school, she demonstrated that she had inherited both her mother’s talents and her father’s cast-iron moral sense. Minerva’s school career overlapped by two years with that of Pomona Sprout, later Head of Hufflepuff House, and the two women enjoyed an excellent relationship both then, and in later years. 

By the end of her education at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall had achieved an impressive record: top grades in O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, Prefect, Head Girl, and winner of the Transfiguration Today Most Promising Newcomer award. Under the guidance of her inspirational Transfiguration teacher, Albus Dumbledore, she had managed to become an Animagus; her animal form, with its distinctive markings (tabby cat, square spectacles markings around eyes) were duly logged in the Ministry of Magic’s Animagus Registry. Minerva was also, like her mother, a gifted Quidditch player, although a nasty fall in her final year (a foul during the Gryffindor versus Slytherin game which would decide the Cup winner) left her with concussion, several broken ribs and a lifelong desire to see Slytherin crushed on the Quidditch pitch. Though she gave up Quidditch on leaving Hogwarts, the innately competitive Professor McGonagall later took a keen interest in the fortunes of her house team, and retained a keen eye for Quidditch talent. 

Early Heartbreak

Upon graduation from Hogwarts, Minerva returned to the manse to enjoy one last summer with her family before setting out for London, where she had been offered a position at the Ministry of Magic (Department of Magical Law Enforcement). These months were to prove some of the most difficult of Minerva’s life, for it was then, aged only eighteen, that she proved herself truly her mother’s daughter, by falling head-over-heels in love with a Muggle boy. 

It was the first and only time in Minerva McGonagall’s life that she might have been said to lose her head. Dougal McGregor was the handsome, clever and funny son of a local farmer. Though less beautiful than Isobel, Minerva was clever and witty. Dougal and Minerva shared a sense of humour, argued fiercely, and suspected mysterious depths in each other. Before either of them knew it, Dougal was on one knee in a ploughed field, proposing, and Minerva was accepting him.
She went home, intending to tell her parents of her engagement, yet found herself unable to do so. All that night she lay awake, thinking about her future. 

Dougal did not know what she, Minerva, truly was, any more than her father had known the truth about Isobel before they had married. Minerva had witnessed at close quarters the kind of marriage she might have if she wed Dougal. It would be the end of all her ambitions; it would mean a wand locked away, and children taught to lie, perhaps even to their own father. She did not fool herself that Dougal McGregor would accompany her to London, while she went to work every day at the Ministry. He was looking forward to inheriting his father’s farm.
Early next morning, Minerva slipped from her parents’ house and went to tell Dougal that she had changed her mind, and could not marry him. Mindful of the fact that if she broke the International Statute of Secrecy she would lose the job at the Ministry for which she was giving him up, she could give him no good reason for her change of heart. She left him devastated, and set out for London three days later. 

Ministry Career 

Though undoubtedly her feelings for the Ministry of Magic were coloured by the fact that she had recently suffered an emotional crisis, Minerva McGonagall did not much enjoy her new home and workplace. Some of her co-workers had an engrained anti-Muggle bias which, given her adoration of her Muggle father, and her continuing love for Dougal McGregor, she deplored. Though a most efficient and gifted employee, and fond of her much older boss, Elphinstone Urquart, Minerva was unhappy in London, and found that she missed Scotland. Finally, after two years at the Ministry, she was offered a prestigious promotion, yet found herself turning it down. She sent an owl to Hogwarts, asking whether she might be considered for a teaching post. The owl returned within hours, offering her a job in the Transfiguration department, under Head of Department, Albus Dumbledore. 

Friendship with Albus Dumbledore 

The school greeted Minerva McGonagall’s return with delight. Minerva threw herself into her work, proving herself a strict but inspirational teacher. If she kept letters from Dougal McGregor locked in a box under her bed, this was (she told herself firmly) better than keeping her wand locked there. Nevertheless, it was a shock to learn from the oblivious Isobel (in the middle of a chatty letter of local news) that Dougal had married the daughter of another farmer. 

Albus Dumbledore discovered Minerva in tears in her classroom late that evening, and she confessed the whole story to him. Albus Dumbledore offered both comfort and wisdom, and told Minerva some of his own family history, previously unknown to her. The confidences exchanged that night between two intensely private and reserved characters were to form the basis of a lasting mutual esteem and friendship. 

Marriage

Through all her early years at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall remained on terms of friendship with her old boss at the Ministry, Elphinstone Urquart. He came to visit her while on holiday to Scotland, and to her great surprise and embarrassment, proposed marriage in Madam Puddifoot’s teashop. Still in love with Dougal McGregor, Minerva turned him down.

Elphinstone, however, had never ceased to love her, nor to propose every now and then, even though she continued to refuse him. The death of Dougal McGregor, however, although traumatic, seemed to free Minerva. Shortly after Voldemort’s first defeat, Elphinstone, now white-haired, proposed again during a summertime stroll around the lake in the Hogwarts grounds. This time Minerva accepted. Elphinstone, now retired, was beside himself with joy, and purchased a small cottage in Hogsmeade for the pair of them, whence Minerva could travel easily to work every day.

Known to successive generations of students as ‘Professor McGonagall,’ Minerva - always something of a feminist - announced that she would be keeping her own name upon marriage. Traditionalists sniffed - why was Minerva refusing to accept a pure-blood name, and keeping that of her Muggle father?
The marriage (cut tragically short, though it was destined to be) was a very happy one. Though they had no children of their own, Minerva’s nieces and nephews (children of her brothers Malcolm and Robert) were frequent visitors to their home. This was a period of great fulfillment for Minerva.

The accidental death of Elphinstone from a Venomous Tentacula bite, three years into their marriage, was an enormous sorrow to all who knew the couple. Minerva could not bear to remain alone in their cottage, but packed her things after Elphinstone’s funeral and returned to her sparse stone-floored bedroom in Hogwarts Castle, accessible through a concealed door in the wall of her first-floor study. Always a very brave and private person, she poured all her energies into her work, and few people - excepting perhaps Albus Dumbledore - ever realised how much she suffered.

This is exactly the type of material that I was hoping to read on Pottermore. It was amazing to read about her life and definitely proved to me that J.K.R. is a genius writer. Even if I tried to come up with my own back story for Professor McGonagall, I could never come up with the what she gave us.

So far, that's the one new material that I have been completely satisfied with. I'm still looking forward to find out more about Hogwarts, the other professors, and the House ghosts (like why did they try to behead Nearly Headless Nick, and why does Peeves only obey the Bloody Baron?). 

But what I really hope J.K.R. includes are the story between Lily and Petunia, Lily and Snape, and of course, Lily and James. It would be amazing to read how they all were connected to each other and how things ended up the way they did. Thinking about the possibilities even brings tears to my eyes.

So I am definitely going to be looking forward to the new books and the new materials, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that they will continue to be revealing enough to satisfy my curious mind.


But for now, I give Pottermore TWO THUMBS UP!

What about you? What new material did you like the most and what else are you hoping to read about in the upcoming books? Feel free to tell me ^_^

-- End of Beta Case File --

BETA CASE FILE #1: Hidden Objects

Just like Harry, Ron, Hermione, and every other student in Hogwarts, one of our objectives on Pottermore is to earn points to help our House win the House Cup at the end of term. While no one knows for sure how points are fairly counted given the different number of students in each House, most of us try our best to help our Houses.


The first way everyone can earn points is by finding all of the hidden objects as we explore each chapter of the Philosopher's Stone. The hidden objects range from random objects like postcards, chipped cup, prefect badge, etc., to Chocolate Frogs, books and potion ingredients. 


The first issue would be on FINDING THE OBJECTS. Each collectable item "lights up" when the cursor passes by it. Most of the objects are easy to spot when you get to certain chapters. You'll have to remember to ZOOM IN when you get to each moment since some objects are found only after you do that. Don't think that all the objects are obvious, because some are small, like the Chocolate Frogs and some books, and some blend too well with the artwork, like the potion ingredients. I was lucky enough to have my Pottermore Family, who got in before me, help me out. I had trouble finding some of the Chocolate Frogs and books. I was able to find all of the objects with the help from this blog: Hidden Objects, Unlocking New Material. (I'll have a separate file for unlocking the new material) Overall, it took me two days to find all the objects in the Philosopher's Stone.


My FIRST SUGGESTION to Pottermore was to have a list of the objects that can be found in the chapter or at least in the book. While the amount of space we have in our trunk definitely provides a hint of how many objects we need to find, I wouldn't have known what to find if my friends had not told me what they found. This worked for now since a bunch of us got in earlier, but when the second book opens, most of us will be at equal footing. Of course there will be many of us who are patient in searching for the objects without any hint as to where they are, but it would be nice to know WHAT we are looking for. 


Now, I've mentioned that the hidden objects random objects, Chocolate Frogs, potion ingredients and books. While the potion ingredients are useful since can use them for, well, brewing potions, the other objects are not as useful. Which brings me to my next batch of suggestions.


For the CHOCOLATE FROGS, it would be nice to be able to read what was written on the card and the image of the person in the card as well. I'd like to know how J.K. Rowling imagined the other characters to be, especially the famous wizards and witches. And I'd also like to see the moving pictures, and how they would act to get an idea of their personality.


For the BOOKS, I would like to read even just some of their content. I'm not talking about the Potions and Spell books since we use them. I am most interested in the other books we find, like Hogwarts: A History, since Hermione did repeatedly mention it throughout the series. It would give us a better idea of the magical world that is in the genius mind of J.K. Rowling.


For the RANDOM OBJECTS, I made the suggestion to Pottermore that they allow us to either USE the objects to gain access to secret parts of the castle (like the PREFECT BADGE to peek in the PREFECT's BATH AREA even before the Goblet of Fire) or to have BONUS GAMES (like WIZARD CHESS). This way finding the objects would really be more interesting.


Well, I've mentioned these suggestions to Pottermore, and they have promised to take them into consideration. I really hope they add more fun activities for us to explore, especially since we are  still waiting for the Chamber of Secrets to open. 


What about you? Any suggestions for Pottermore? Feel free to tell me by placing a comment below. ^_^




--End of Beta Case File --

Welcome to Slytherin

*SPOILER ALERT! This post contains images and information about my experience in Pottermore. So, if you don't want to know anything because you want to experience it all yourself, then now is the time to STOP READING THIS.
Still reading? Then I guess you don't mind, and so, feel free to read and enjoy! ^_^




While reading all of the Harry Potter books, I never really gave much thought about where I would be placed if I was asked to put on the Sorting Hat. I only started to think about it when Pottermore came out and people were declaring what House they wanted to be in or what the expected to end up in.


So when I was asked about what House I expected to be in, I was stumped. I had never tried those online Sorting quizzes before. I also thought that there was a little of me in almost all the Houses, so to say that one trait was more prominent than the other was very hard for me to do.

When I asked around, some people said they expected me to be in Ravenclaw because I was studious and loved Math (F.Y.I: I am an math teacher).


When I tried one of the online Sorting quizzes, it said that I was to be in Gryffindor.


When I tried to think of where I wanted to go, I thought it would be interesting to be in Hufflepuff since I was curious to know more about their history.


When I finally got into Pottermore and took the Sorting Hat, what greeted me was...

Slytherin Welcome Message

Honestly, I was quite surprised as my Pottermore Gateway was now filled with the color green since I was starting to think that I might end up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. But while I was surprised, I was also very pleased because this meant that my magical journey was going to be unpredictable and that it would, in a way, let me discover more things about myself. 


I tried to recall the questions the Sorting Hat gave and my answers to figure out how the Sorting Hat placed me in Slytherin. Here's what I got: (I wasn't able to take note of the exact question since I was in an overly excited state of mind, so some of the questions may be different from how they were asked during the Sorting Ceremony.)


1. Would you rather invent a potion that would give you...


My answer was Love. At first I was considering wisdom, since I did love to learn new things (which my siblings find annoying). But then I realized, that if I were to pick a potion, I should choose one that would give me something that I found difficult to come across by my own means. And while I did value wisdom, what I honestly have been wanting for my future is to find love. I won't get mushy here and explain why, but I guess this answer also showed my desire to have true friends, and of course, a true partner in life.


2. Four boxes are placed before you. Which do you open?


My choice was the ornate golden casket, standing on clawed feet, whose inscription warms that both secret knowledge and unbearable temptation lie within. While I was curious about the stone chest with Merlin's name on it, and with the chest that had a warning on it  like "I only open for the worthy", in this part I tried to imagine what I would really do in that situation. Knowing myself, I would end up being practical and choose the gold chest since no matter what was in it, the chest itself would already have some value. What if it wasn't real gold? Well, at least the chest was pretty enough to keep or put on display at home. At the same time,  I love secrets since I like the idea of knowing something others do not know, despite whatever temptation that may come with it. 



3.You are walking and come to a crossroads. Which path do you take?


I would choose the castle. Once again, in answering this question I was really honest and practical. If I were traveling alone, I would NEVER go into the forest if I had a choice. Heck, even if I did have company I wouldn't let them take me in there unless it was a do or die situation. And between the seaside/beach and the castle, I would most definitely choose the castle. If I were traveling alone, I would be craving for company and the place where I would be sure to get it would not be by the seaside (unless I wanted to talk to the fish). I would also be looking for food and shelter, and the easiest place to find them would be in the castle. 


4. What are you most looking forward to learning at Hogwarts?


I really want to explore and find out the secrets of the castle. Like Fred and George, I want to know the secret passages and rooms of the castle. I was hoping that we would be able to do this on Pottermore. This is the one question that I think my answer points me more to Gryffindor since I would have to be brave enough to break some rules to really be able to discover the castles secrets.



5. Left or Right?


I have always been partially biased to the right since I was a little girl. For some weird reason, I always considered my right hand or feet as the best, may be because I am right-handed. Of course, my reason for this one is quite hilarious, but who said our answers had to make sense? 


6. If asked to choose amongst items in a treasure box, which would you choose? 


I was torn between an ornate mirror and a jewel, the mirror because I am quite vain, and the jewel because I am a woman who appreciates jewelry. Which of the two won? My being a woman won and I chose the jewel. I would be the perfect accessory, and of course, if I am ever in a tight spot, I could always use it to buy my way out. 


7. Which do you find most difficult to deal with?


Once again, I was torn between being ignored and loneliness. Being ignored did sound bad, but then I realized that I never had that problem before since I knew that I still had my friends. I'm sure not everyone I meet likes me, but I never worried about what I'd do if they didn't notice me since I didn't need to gain a lot of friends. What I worried about the most is about not being able to find true friends who would provide me security, trust, and peace of mind. And so, I chose the answer of loneliness. I could be surrounded by so many people, but I would feel lonely if not even one of these people knew who I really was. 




So after looking at these questions and my answers, I realize that I do belong in Slytherin because I truly value friendship and companionship. And second to that my choices reveal that I am a very practical person and I try to make choices that will provide me means to best get to an end. 


Having read the welcome message of Slytherin also increased my interest in the House. It provided with information I never knew about Slytherin, and again, pleasantly surprised me. 


For those who are curious, here is the rest of the welcome message:

Now, there are a few things you should know about Slytherin – and a few you should forget.

Firstly, let’s dispel a few myths. You might have heard rumours about Slytherin house – that we’re all into the Dark Arts, and will only talk to you if your great-grandfather was a famous wizard, and rubbish like that. Well, you don’t want to believe everything you hear from competing houses. I’m not denying that we’ve produced our share of Dark wizards, but so have the other three houses – they just don’t like admitting it. And yes, we have traditionally tended to take students who come from long lines of witches and wizards, but nowadays you’ll find plenty of people in Slytherin house who have at least one Muggle parent.

Here’s a little-known fact that the other three houses don’t bring up much: Merlin was a Slytherin. Yes, Merlin himself, the most famous wizard in history! He learned all he knew in this very house! Do you want to follow in the footsteps of Merlin? Or would you rather sit at the old desk of that illustrious ex-Hufflepuff, Eglantine Puffett, inventor of the Self-Soaping Dishcloth?
I didn’t think so.
But that’s enough about what we’re not. Let’s talk about what we are, which is the coolest and edgiest house in this school. We play to win, because we care about the honour and traditions of Slytherin.
We also get respect from our fellow students. Yes, some of that respect might be tinged with fear, because of our Dark reputation, but you know what? It can be fun, having a reputation for walking on the wild side. Chuck out a few hints that you’ve got access to a whole library of curses, and see whether anyone feels like nicking your pencil case.
But we’re not bad people. We’re like our emblem, the snake: sleek, powerful, and frequently misunderstood.

For instance, we Slytherins look after our own – which is more than you can say for Ravenclaw. Apart from being the biggest bunch of swots you ever met, Ravenclaws are famous for clambering over each other to get good marks, whereas we Slytherins are brothers. The corridors of Hogwarts can throw up surprises for the unwary, and you’ll be glad you’ve got the Serpents on your side as you move around the school. As far as we’re concerned, once you’ve become a snake, you’re one of ours – one of the elite.
Because you know what Salazar Slytherin looked for in his chosen students? The seeds of greatness. You’ve been chosen by this house because you’ve got the potential to be great, in the true sense of the word. All right, you might see a couple of people hanging around the common room whom you might not think are destined for anything special. Well, keep that to yourself. If the Sorting Hat put them in here, there’s something great about them, and don’t you forget it.

And talking of people who aren’t destined for greatness, I haven’t mentioned the Gryffindors. Now, a lot of people say that Slytherins and Gryffindors represent two sides of the same coin. Personally, I think Gryffindors are nothing more than wannabe Slytherins. Mind you, some people say that Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor prized the same kinds of students, so perhaps we are more similar than we like to think. But that doesn’t mean that we cosy up with Gryffindors. They like beating us only slightly less than we like beating them.

A few more things you might need to know: our house ghost is the Bloody Baron. If you get on the right side of him he’ll sometimes agree to frighten people for you. Just don’t ask him how he got bloodstained; he doesn’t like it.

The password to the common room changes every fortnight. Keep an eye on the noticeboard. Never bring anyone from another house into our common room or tell them our password. No outsider has entered it for more than seven centuries.

Well, I think that’s all for now. I’m sure you’ll like our dormitories. We sleep in ancient four-posters with green silk hangings, and bedspreads embroidered with silver thread. Medieval tapestries depicting the adventures of famous Slytherins cover the walls, and silver lanterns hang from the ceilings. You’ll sleep well; it’s very soothing, listening to the lake water lapping against the windows at night.

LET'S GO SLYTHERIN!

A Tight Fight for the House Cup!

NEWS FLASH!

Today, September 6, Tuesday, I have noticed that it has been a tight fight for the House Cup between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. 

I've been monitoring the House Points in the Great Hall for the day.

At 11:40am (11:40pm U.S.A. time) both Houses were tied:

Slytherin and Raveclaw Tied at 21,860 points

Throughout the day, both Houses have been scrambling for the lead. Sometimes Ravenclaw would be at the lead...

Slytherin: 21,878 and Ravenclaw: 21,879
 

Other times, Slytherin would gain the lead...

Slytherin: 22,385 and Ravenclaw: 22,380

And as of 11:32pm today (11:32am U.S.A. time), the points are still close to each other:

Slytherin: 22,813 and Ravenclaw: 22,801

But it's still a long term ahead of us all, so it's still everyone and every House's game! 

So find all those hidden objects, and practice your spells for when dueling finally opens. But for now, keep BREWING THAT POTION!!