Last week, Pottermore.com went through many significant changes (for those of you how don’t know, Pottermore is a Harry Potter website filled with new writings from author J.K Rowling where you can learn more about the Wizarding World). There have been so many changes to the site, that Pottermore is nearly unrecognizable. There are many differences between the new and old Pottermore, such as:

The Sorting Hat: The Sorting Hat on the original Pottermore was a test to determine what house you belonged in – whether it was Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or, my personal favorite, Hufflepuff. The difference about the Sorting Hat on the new Pottermore is, drum roll please, there isn’t one. Oh, Sorty, what will we do without you? Not only did the sorting hat test go out the window, the wand test is no longer on the site as well. Mr. Ollivander is going to go out of business!

The House Cup: On Pottermore, houses used to compete for the ultimate victory every year, the prestigious House Cup. Houses would duel and brew virtual potions to earn points for their team; the house with the most points would win the Cup. My own House, Hufflepuff, won the last House Cup before the new Pottermore emerged (#HufflepuffPride, am I right?). However, since there is no longer a Sorting Hat, there are no Houses, therefore, sadly, no House Cup. Without the House Cup there is no need for dueling or potion making – both of which have, by the way, been removed from the website.

Exploring the Story: This is one element of Pottermore that I am relieved to say improved. Exploring the story of Harry Potter is now bigger and better than ever. On the original site you could visit each chapter of the books, collect items, and find special writings from J.K. Rowling herself hiding in the pictures. With the new Pottermore, there are even more brilliant writings by Rowling. In fact, there’s nothing but writings, pictures, Wizarding World news, and Harry Potter art. In fact, entire site is based around it. You can go even further in depth with the stories of Harry Potter and learn things even the “number one” fan might not have known. An announcement was even made about a new Harry Potter play Rowling has in the works, called The Cursed Child!

I will dearly miss the interactive part of Pottermore, as well as the illusion it gave me of being an actual Hogwarts student. Nevertheless, the new Pottermore site is fresh, exiting, and waiting to be explored by you! Check out the new and magical website at Pottermore.com.