The Harry Potter universe didn’t end with the publication of the Deathly Hallows in 2007. Since 2011, J.K. Rowling has hidden new updates to the wizarding world on Pottermore, her website that explains and enriches the history, technology, and lineages of the characters we’ve come to love. Before J.K. Rowling releases another feature on Pottermore tomorrow, catch up on these highlights of the material she’s already unveiled.
Gossip Column: Dumbledore’s Army Reunites at the Quidditch World Cup Final
Snarky Rita Skeeter is back for an update on the wizards, now “no longer the fresh-faced teenagers they were in their heyday.†Spoiler alert: Harry’s going grey, and Ron’s ginger mane is starting to thin.
Dolores Umbridge
This character study explains more about the evil yet “ineffably twee†professor and why she joined Voldemort. Plus, it’s set against a backdrop of her office with the pink decorative kitten plates.
Azkaban
In this report on Guantánamo Bay — er, Azkaban — Rowling describes how the Ministry turns a blind eye to the prison, leaving it to the “continually breeding dementors.â€
Sybill Trelawney
Before she fell prey to cooking sherry, the great-great granddaughter of the Seer Cassandra was married. But it ended early when she refused to adopt his last name: Higglebottom.
The Malfoy Family
You can practically imagine Draco reading this history of his pureblood family aloud with a smirk. Surprise, surprise: The Malfoys’ money and contempt for Muggles has been going strong for over ten centuries.
Floo Powder
Floo powder, which transports wizards through fireplaces, is apparently the Coca-Cola of the wizarding world. Its secret recipe has been guarded for centuries — causing quite a few imitators to end up in St. Mungo’s.
Remus Lupin
This profile starts with the ex–Defense Against the Dark Arts professor’s parents meeting in a boggart-infested forest in Wales. His shabby upbringing goes from a werewolf bite at just 4 years old an Order of Merlin and his tragic demise.
History of the Quidditch World Cup
In one of the site’s longest features, Rowling gives a true historical and logistical explanation of the game starting from 1473. The Infamous Tournaments list is full of anecdotes, like when a Bludger gone awry awoke an angry forest, causing a bloody interspecies battle of wizards versus living trees.
Celestina Warbeck
Remember the warbling, sappy singer Molly Weasley couldn’t get enough of? Rowling reveals more about one of her favorite “off-stage†characters in this biography, including her three marriages.
Professor McGonagall
It’s hard to imagine McGonagall without her tight bun and square spectacles, but the professor was once a little girl who was no doubt teased for her name Minerva. Heartbroken by a Muggle and briefly married to her old boss, she has quite the romantic history.