Pottermore - You've put a Spell on me... or was that Flobberworm Mucus?

How do I love Pottermore?  Let me count the ways.  Ok, perhaps I won't wax poetic, but I will say for a first go I think they are doing a great job over in the Wizarding World.

In my first report, I talked about wands and sorting.  I'm not sure I was clear that you get your wand in the same chapter as Harry.  As you go through chapter by chapter and see highlights, when there's something you can do, you do it.  You get sorted when Harry gets sorted, learn Potions in Harry's first Potions class, etc.  And I will let you in on a Potions secret...  Even though we all remember Professor Snape's "there will be no foolish wand waving in this class" lecture, you're potion will fail if you don't wave your wand.

Potion making is one of the games available in the beta version of Pottermore.  Your book give you the recipe, and you have to put the ingredients together just right.  If not, your potion might fail, or your cauldron can explode and you'll have to head back to Diagon Alley to buy a new one.  House points won and lost in a puff of smoke, as some of them are actually quite complicated!

The serious wand waving is in Charms class of course.  There are actually three books for spellcasting.  Besides the Standard Book of Spells (grade 1) there is The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection and Curses and Counter-Curses.

I love that the Spells books outline the shape of the motion you are to make with your wand.  I've been practicing all week!  Only a few casualties around the office.  :oP  One of the other games open to beta users is Wizard Dueling - where you can challenge another student to a duel for house points.  Sadly, this function has been offline this week so I have yet to participate in any duels.  I've been practicing though so I'll be ready.

There are some grumbles here and there about Pottermore but from my perspective, they are from people with very specific expectations.  The site is meant to be kid-friendly so there are some identity-safe features that might be annoying for some.   There are glitches here and there and times when  the site is not available, and that's all part of the testing process!

All in all I think it was well thought out and I look forward to seeing the rest of Harry's story unfold.

Sneak peek just for my friend Steampunk Addie... here's what the Potions lab looks like:

And... here's the empty hallway where I practice my spells!