The Harry Potter Compendium
Advertisement

J. K. Rowling's Official Site is the official website of J. K. Rowling. Launched on 15 May, 2004, the site contained a large amount of information on the Harry Potter universe, as well as news and rumours, and an in-depth biography of Rowling herself.

The contents of the site, both its original version and the updated site, are considered as Canon by the The Harry Potter Compendium.

File:JK Rowling Official Website April 2012.jpg

Updated 2012 website displayed in timeline view

In February 2012, Rowling announced the upcoming publication of a new novel, targeted at adults. In conjunction with this, the official website (which had not been updated to any great extent in at least two years), was taken down and replaced with a single-page announcement of the new book and a notice that the official site was being refreshed and redesigned and would be relaunched later in the Spring.

On 12 April 2012, the redesigned J. K. Rowling official website was opened. The new site is divided into three sections. The first contains information about Rowling herself, including a biography, news updates and an FAQs & Rumours section, which for the most repeats content found on the original version of the site. The second is a one-page announcement regarding Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy. The final section is about Harry Potter, and includes sections on Pottermore, the books and the films. The majority of the content is available through a "timeline" option that includes the same three sections and provides the option to toggle which are displayed. Due to extremely high traffic, access was erratic at first, with content often refusing to load and text-only pages displaying HTTP 500 errors. The site states that some of the Harry Potter content which has now been removed will be made available on Pottermore.

Sections - Previous version[]

File:J.k rowling offical site.jpg

Desktop of site's previous version

  • Diary - This notebook is where Jo posts updates regarding her progress on Book 7 and her thoughts on writing the book.
  • News - Set up as a newspaper, it is where JK makes announcements concerning her books, personal life, and more.
  • Rumours! - Set up as a magazine, it is where JK clears up any and all rumours in this area.
  • Rubbish Bin - This section is where Jo identifies news stories about her or her books that are "more-fiction-than-fact."
  • F.A.Q.- JK's answers to popular questions that she has received.
  • Fan Sites - JK features her favourite HP fan sites, one per year. So far these are the winners:
  • Biography - An in-depth biography about herself.
  • Extra Stuff - Assorted notes, things that were cut, extra details about characters, and "completely useless information" that isn't actually useless, such as gags like Gobb Lynn Security Specialists.
  • Wizard of the Month Archive - A previously unknown witch or wizard is profiled each month.
  • Links - Links to sites of interest to JK. These include publishers, charities, etc.
  • Scrapbook - This is where all of your rewards are kept when you unlock the secrets of the site.
  • Room of Requirement - The purpose of which remained a mystery until it was unlocked for the first time to reveal the official title of Book 6 (with a little riddle at first, of course) it also was used to house the W.O.M.B.A.T. test.

Peeves[]

Peeves not only causes trouble in Hogwarts, but he's also been up to some dirty work around Jo's desk, making appearances throughout the site. All of these visits from him require you to remain on the relevant page for a couple of minutes.

External links[]

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series
Sorcerer's Stone novel film game film soundtrack game soundtrack
Chamber of Secrets novel film game film soundtrack game soundtrack
Prisoner of Azkaban novel film game film soundtrack game soundtrack
Goblet of Fire novel film game film soundtrack game soundtrack
Order of the Phoenix novel film game film soundtrack game soundtrack
Half-Blood Prince novel film game film soundtrack game soundtrack
Deathly Hallows novel film 1 game 1 film soundtrack 1 game soundtrack 1
film 2 game 2 film soundtrack 2 game soundtrack 2
Other written works Other games
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Harry Potter: Trading Card Game
Quidditch Through the Ages LEGO Creator: Harry Potter/Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Tales of Beedle the Bard Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
Harry Potter Prequel Harry Potter: Find Scabbers
Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book Harry Potter DVD Game: Hogwarts Challenge/Wizarding World
Harry Potter Film Wizardry Harry Potter: Spells
Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4/Years 5-7
LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World Motorbike Escape
LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World Harry Potter: The Quest
Encyclopaedia of Potterworld (potentially cancelled) Harry Potter for Kinect
Other canon Other films/documentaries/soundtracks
J.K.Rowling Official Site Harry Potter and Me
Pottermore The Queen's Handbag
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life
Harry Potter: The Exhibition Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup (video game soundtrack)
The Making of Harry Potter Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story
Wonderbook: Book of Spells Harry Potter: Beyond the Page
Wonderbook: Book of Potions The Tale of the Three Brothers
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
IndividualsPlacesTranslations
Advertisement