Sunday, June 19, 2011

Pottermore - The Numbers Game

Update!, the Quill Quest has been announced. I've started a new post to follow the clues as they are released. Check here: Quill Quest is ON!!

Prior thread link: contains all the Secret Street View coordinates, letters, locations, and notes!

Recent updates in red!

Molly, from prior thread comments, was right! Today brought an increase of 7 owls to 32, which give us this pattern in daily owl increase:
2 -4-4-5-5-7
But, what does it mean?

Increasing owls?  More falling leaves?  Frozen numbers?  What could it all mean?

When you look on J.K. Rowling’s YouTube announcement page, you'll notice that there are many numbers that seem to be frozen in time. One of this blog's commentators, Anonymous, has been posting in the prior thread various theories as to what the numbers could mean. I encourage you to go back and read those comments. I think Anonymous is truly on to something as those numbers are fixed, and knowing JKR, chosen for a reason, but I'm just not sure that I buy into them being page numbers in the books as page numbering changes depending on the publisher.

I believe JKR IS releasing clues through the Pottermore Youtube video, and I think she gave us a heads-up with the coordinates on the Street View maps as to how to play this game. Like the StreetView coordinates, this is a numbers game, and we've got to figure out what these numbers mean to unlock her clues.

What I'd like to do here is provide a table of the numbers and then we can all throw out theories as to what they could mean, drawing from how JKR has used them in the prior books.

Numbers on Pottermore Youtube:

50 -- videos
0:09/1:13 -- time video holds at
Feb. 4 or 2/4 or 4/2 -- upload date (notice no year is selected)
217,394 -- page views
122 -- likes
25 -- dislikes
6/23/11 -- date of release

Owl count by date:
6/16: 5
6/17: 7
6/18: 11
6/19: 15
6/20: 20
6/21: 25 (updated)

Leaf count by date:
6/19: 10
6/20: 11
6/21: 12

One very strong clue -- since the video seems to be in Flash and thus you can't click "like" or "dislike," these numbers definitely seem to carry a clue.


Also, my daughter pointed out that all the suggested videos are frozen, you cannot click to activate them. Each of those videos has numbers attached to them as well, but since they seem to be real YouTube videos, I don't think that aspect could have been manipulated by JKR and her team.

Update 6/21: It was explained to me in chat tonight by @mightylauren (thanks!) that since the whole JKR Announce Youtube page is in Flash, her designers would have set up those other videos as well. Which means that both the selection of which videos (the Harvard speech is up twice) and the video view numbers, could be manipulated.

Update: Quote from one of the videos captured on the right side of JKR's Youtube announcement:
"It would have been humanly impossible to answer every single question that fans have because I'm dealing with a level of obsession in some of my fans that will not rest until they know the middle names of Harry's great-great-grandparents." - JK Rowling
In this same video, she mentions the encyclopedia. (JK Rowling on NBC, part 1)

Here are the clues posted by Anonymous with his/her explanation (I left out the book # ones because I'm just not sure that works):
1. The post date is 4th February, the date Septimius Severus died.
2. The timer says 0:09/1:13, and 9/1, or January 9th, is Severus Snape birthday. Also, in some areas, 9/1 means 1 September, the first day of Hogwarts.

Here are my theories for some of the other numbers:
50 - the number of people mentioned killed in the Battle of Hogwarts fighting Voldemort

122 - 25 = 97 - the year Philosopher's Stone was published

1997 was also the year that Fred Weasley died (caught by Anonymous in comments) and thus would also be the year of the Battle of Hogwarts, the true death of Voldemort, and the end of the series! (As noted by Anonymous, this is from JKR's website, the Lexicon and other places on the web reference his death as 1998).

Could there be another coordinate on the StreetView?  And if so, could the pageview count of 217,394 be part of one to get us started? (update: - I checked out various coordinates from the YouTube page in StreetView and couldn't get any to work. I posted those coordinates in comments).  However, could some of those video viewer numbers be coordinates?

The year of 2013 in 009/1:13 could indicate the beginning of the next generation at school.

Also, new idea -- where do the numbers of owls feature most prominently in the Harry Potter series?  OWLS (Ordinary Wizarding Level exams).  Maybe these increasing owls are "testing" us!? 


(I'll be refreshing these theories throughout the day as I've had time to ponder them).

** Please let me know if I missed anything.

Fans are divided as to whether PotterMORE stands for a Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Experience or a Massive Online Reference Encyclopedia. While I prefer the latter, there is strong evidence on the trademark registration page for the former.

Finally, JK Rowling once said that her fans wanted way more backstory and details of her world than she could provide within the story. Has she found a way to give her Potter fans more? From the notes posted on the StreetView site which all pointed to elements which would be contained in an encyclopedia, to the carefully-planned details on her Youtube page, I think JK Rowling is getting ready to provide her fans with a virtual, online Potter universe. One that may include many of the theories floating around the web. A world where all fans could win!

** I started this new post instead of continuing the earlier thread on Pottermore because I want to investigate better the meaning of the numbers on JKR's YouTube Announcement page.  The length of the old thread and number of updates may be confusing. Still, check it out for prior discussions.

111 comments:

  1. Hi there, so very good of you to put the numbers together. I was also wondering if it could be clues... The channel views have also been stuck on certain numbers for hours at a time, so they seemed fixed. I wrote down:
    18
    683,778
    1,434,941
    1,757,660
    But I can't make anything of it yet...

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  2. I'm not a fan of the numbers theory, or in other words: I don't believe it at all.

    However, that RPG-theory seems very plausibel. I really believe that one. Like I said in my other comment, it would make the name Pottermore a lot more logical.
    The owls could be just an indication to the RPG. In time, there are more owls gathering, as there will be more members of the RPG as well

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  3. I posted this comment on the old thread, but I post it here too, so that everyone can see. =D


    "Also, even though I'd love it to be an interactive encylopedia, I'm starting to think those who believe it to be a Multi-player Online Roleplaying Exerience may be correct. Notice the letters. PotterMORE."


    I've seen it suggested that the "more" could also stand for "massive online reference encyclopedia"

    Also, Im a math nerd so I totally love series of numbers. The only clever thing I can come with for "5 ,7, 11, 15" is that the differences between each number is "2,4,4"

    This reminds me of OotP where they dialed "62442" (which also spells "magic" on a telephone key pad) to get into the ministry of magic.

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  4. oooo....I might have another correlation for 0:09/1:13

    (taken from: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/13_September)


    September 13, 1991 (9-13-91) - "Shortly after midnight, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom avoid Argus Filch, who was tipped off by Draco Malfoy that the Gryffindors were out of bed. While running from him in the third floor, they discover Fluffy the three-headed dog in the Forbidden Corridor."

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  5. Anonymous, I'm not getting the same numbers for the channel views as you, so I don't think that's part of it. :-(

    JFeijten -- I'm starting to lean closer to the RPG theory than the encyclopedia as well, though I prefer the encyclopedia. For the numbers, I still have doubts too, but one thing that kind of clicked for me on it was when I remembered that she started the game with numbers -- those coordinates that we plugged into the map. Also, one of the things I know from studying her book for my workshop is that in the books she HAS played with numbers as a clue, seven being the most obvious example, of course.

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  6. Roxanne -- thanks for posting the possible encyclopedia acronym for MORE. That renews my hope! :-)

    So glad you remembered the "magic" phone number especially as that's another great example of how JKR has played with numbers as a clue.

    Still pondering the 09/1:13. Not sure what kind of clue we'd get from the Forbidden Corridor.

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  7. I'd rather have the encyclopedia as an actual book, but I think a website encyclopedia could include a whole lot more information. So I hope that's what this is, unless she's still planning on publishing it on paper! :)

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  8. I hope that MORE stands for something like Major On-line Reference Encyclopaedia :D

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  9. I don't think it's the encyclopedia. I mean, she announced that she was working on the Scottish Book back in 2008, so why would it be this huge hush hush/mystery thing? I also seem to remember her saying it would very likely take her decades to finish the Scottish Book, and it definitely hasn't been decades. Or maybe she just said it would take her a long time, but even so it's only been four years, so I'm just not sure about that.

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  10. Also, do you think the TYPE of owls that have been showing up on the page have some significance? There is only the two breeds on the page - Great Horned and Barn.

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  11. I tried these coordinates, came up with nothing:
    50.009113, 24.217394 24.217394, 50.009113
    50.009113, 24.12225 24.12225, 50.009113
    50.217394, 24.009113 24.009113, 50.217394
    50.217394, 24.12225 24.12225, 50.217394
    50.12225, 24.217394 24.217394, 50.12225
    50.12225, 24.009113 24.009113, 50.12225
    24.009113, 97.217394

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  12. You're right, Jodi, about The Scottish Book. But how long has it been since she commented on it, and maybe she changed her mind about how to approach it. Maybe she decided an online type of wiki that fans could participate in would be better. Still, I'm thinking now the game more likely.

    I've been wondering the same thing about the owls, but thought maybe it was just to save time in programming.

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  13. Oh my. Number make me think math and I'm allergic to that. That and werewolves. :D Seriously though, it's fun to speculate, but I can't wait to find out what it is! And knowing you, you're on the right track.

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  14. M.O.R.E. could also stand for Multimedia Online Resource Encyclopedia?

    That's one I've heard loads of people guess at, and I hope they're right!

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  15. Just an idea for another number clue....the owls sneezing is very odd to include on the JK Announces page. Could there be any rhyme or reason to the order in which they sneeze? Perhaps the order of their appearance? Just an idea.

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  16. But those places that we discovered with the help of coordinates - do they mean anything at all? Are they connected with POTTERMORE? I mean, Jo wouldn't have chosen them at random, right? There has to be a reason why she put them in. It's like a reminder of something. I'm sure they must mean something. They must be a clue to what POTTERMORE will be about. I'm sure Jo's trying to tell us something...

    On the side note, I love those owls and how their number grows with each day:)) I wonder how many there'll be tomorrow: 25 or close to 30?

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  17. Siobhan - love your name! I'm using a version of it in a story. :-) Yes, we had the MORE encyclopedia acronym in a prior thread. I should move it here as well. That's the problem with more than one thread, but the other was getting confusing. :-)

    Makenzie -- I've been pondering the owls a lot today. Have you noticed that if you run your cursor over them they wiggle? It's like you're tickling them!

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  18. Hi Farida - If you look back at the prior thread, I listed all the coordinates with their letter, location, as well as the pop-up notes. I was convinced that they carried clues, and it seemed to me to be pointing toward the encyclopedia because each note and location related somehow to articles that would be included in the encyclopedia. I honestly still hope this is right. It's just that the game theory seems to be getting more play online.

    Here's a link:
    http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/pottermore-trail-of-clues.html

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  19. This is probably completely wrong, but imagine if she is announcing something to be released 0:09/1:13 Either Jan 9th 2013 or 1st September 2013?

    Just a random idea :)

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  20. The 4th Febuary date of posting must be a clue! It says that the channel was only created 31st May 2011 if you scroll down!

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  21. Hi Anonymous -- I've been going crazy trying to find a link between JKR or HP and Feb. 4, because without that year date, it just screams "clue" to me. I thought I'd found it when I came across a news story about JKR being knighted in France on 2/4/09 - but she'd been knighted the day before. :-(

    You mentioned before that Sept. 1 is the first day of Hogwarts. Perhaps 2013 is when the next generation starts.

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  22. Thanks, Lisa. But I feel that I can't get a handle on this track at all. It seems she's definitely leaving clues in that YouTube video, but every possibility I try yields nothing. :-(

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  23. I think this has already been established or is at least assumed, but it's for sure not a real YouTube video because it doesn't affect my recommended videos when I go back to Youtube later. It might be some kind of animated gif or flash.

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  24. Oh, man, I got so excited because I checked the comments on the videos on the side of her "YouTube video," and this latest comment (two months ago) on the first video I checked said, "I wish she'd write a story about Lily and James." But then I checked the rest and they're totally unconnected. :/
    Red herring....OR IS IT?!?!
    I'm paranoid.

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  25. Check this out:

    http://harrypotterreviews.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/pottermore-preview/

    An update at the bottom says they're fake, but what else could it be? It looks like JKR's current website, and who would go to the time to create all that as a joke?
    Note that at the top the "site" has a login, an encyclopedia page, a pottercast page, a store, and a community page.

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  26. Sorry, one last post for the night:
    Did anyone notice that the Do Not Disturb sign has returned to the door if you click to 6/20/11 on JKR's site? Is is like that all the time now, or is that new for this announcement?

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  27. Hi Ragmar -- Thanks so much for all your comments. First, about the youtube videos -- you're right. They're in Flash, which is why the whole page is not interactive, is my understanding.

    I do think there may be some clues in those videos (I just updated this page to reflect that), but it will have to wait until tomorrow and a fresher brain for me to hunt them out. Let me know what you find!

    About the DND sign -- the door is not truly shut again. It all depends on what day you have plugged into the time turner. It was set like that at the release of DH so fans could go back and look at prior games JKR played with us.

    Like you, I've heard those supposed pages of the Pottermore site are not real, that they've been online for quite some time.

    If you do find something with those videos, share with us! :-)

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  28. And I count 12 leaves falling today.

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  29. Thanks Raisaers and Ragmar! I've updated the post with the new numbers and a new theory about OWLS!

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  30. Hey Ragmar, can you tell me where the new leaf is that is falling today?

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  31. So, here's a cool connection. June 23 is when the announcement is going to be made. June 23 is Dudley's birthday. Aside from the very first chapter of Harry Potter, Dudley's birthday is the day we are first introduced to Harry. =D

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  32. Hmm...now I'm getting 7 and 8. I wonder if it changes randomly (thus sending a multi-number code, or perhaps meaning nothing at all)...

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  33. It's Makenzie again...
    I admit, you've gotten me addicted to this whole Pottermore thing. I had mentioned earlier a peculiarity with the owls moving, and I think I am on to something. You had said the owls move when you scroll over them, but some stay fixed (that is, they don't move at all). All in all there are eight still owls. You can see them at this link: http://www.makenziebeaman.tumblr.com

    Not sure if that has any significance, but I thought it was interesting!

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  34. Isn't 2013 the year that Universal plans to expand the wizarding world of harry potter? Maybe it has something to do with that...

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  35. If you try converting numbers into letters (1=a, 2=b, etc) 0:09/1:13 gives you "i am", haven't figured anything out with the rest of the numbers

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  36. Ooh, cool catch Roxanne! So, we have with June 23 a ref to the beginning of the series, and with 97 a ref to both the beginning and the end.

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  37. Hi Makenzie -- so glad you're addicted as I don't want to be obsessing here alone! :-) It would be interesting to note the ratio between the fixed and moving owls, but it's not something I've been keeping track of.

    Love how you circled and posted them on your Tumblr. :-)

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  38. Anonymous -- you're right. One of the last articles about the expansion posted on Mugglenet gave 2013 as the anticipated date. I assume JKR knows what date they're shooting for. Wonder if it's early January?

    About the numbers -- I imagine the same puzzle would work for all the numbers, but not sure. If you find any more letter/number links, let me know.

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  39. I'm trying to put some of today's updates in the post. They'll be in red. Still working on it. Let me know if I miss something important!

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  40. We know this isn't going to be another book. I'm pretty sure it's going to be an online game. And JKR is against having books on 'kindle' etc, electronic devices that support books, so it can't be her encyclopaedia.

    I can't wait for PotterMORE!

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  41. Anonymous - you're definitely right about it not being a book, but not so sure about the electronic stuff. I saw a quote from her recently where she said she had a kindle (or something like that, can't remember the device) that she took on vacation and saved her when she needed to download a children's book for one of the kids.

    Still, I don't believe Pottermore to be an electronic book, but maybe an interactive site that includes encyclopedia-like info is possible.

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  42. At the end of book seven Harry's kids are going to school and the year would be 2017. JKR stated that to her the most interesting of his children was Albus Severus the one starting school 9/1/2017. And Teddy Lupin would have started school 9/1/2009. I don't think it is a next generation thing. I would say 9/1/13 is a release date to a new book, but I would hate it if they made us wait that long after and announcement.

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  43. I think that statements about "The Scottish Book" were made to let people know that she had a project but she was going at her own pace and she didn't want to share about at the time. After a decade of being hounded I think she wanted to write in peace, no deadline, no questions about details, just the joy of writing for writing.

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  44. 9-1-13 is when James Potter II is starting at hogwarts.

    From:
    http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/1_September

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  45. Thanks for the link, Roxanne. Could be a possibility.

    One other thing to keep in mind about 0:09/1:13, if it's a date, is that it might be in Brit format of Jan. 9, 13 rather than Sept. 1. And has been pointed out by Anonymous - Universal may be expanding around that time.

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  46. Anonymous - you're absolutely right about why JKR made the statements about "The Scottish Book" in the video. However, why she linked to it on her Pottermore page is a possible clue as to what's to come.

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  47. I would be very suprised if James was being depicted as a 15 year old in the epilogue. The source puts it is within the range of 2013-2016 that James Sirius Potter begins at Hogwarts. It doesn't exclude the possiblitity, but to me it seems unlikely. I would assume he begins/began school 2015-2016.

    As to the Jan vs Sept date. I think January is more likely, with JK Rowlings website following that style and her preferance to keeping things in British custom.

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  48. Quotes from that Harvard speech she's put up twice:

    "Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners and convince myself that I am at the world’s largest Gryffindor reunion."

    She then proceeds to talk about her life after college and how her failures led to the dark times that inspired Harry Potter.

    "I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me."

    The first part of the speech is very much about how important failure is in someone's personal growth.

    The second part talks Amnesty, and how imagination is more than just thinking up stories, but putting yourself in the place of a person you've never met before.

    "What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality."

    And then she encourages people to use their powers for good.

    So I'm not 100% sure how that connects to this, but I find it interesting that she included it twice. I wonder what the number of views means, since it was important enough to be posted twice...

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  49. Pottermore has nothing to do with a new book, it has already been stated. All we know is that Pottermore is a website, and it is going to be something spectacular. If she is working on a new book, it is not what is going to be announced about tomorrow.

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  50. Sorry, *has nothing to do with a NEW book.

    It is hopefully the Scottish Book, which is not really a new book as it has been talked about previously.

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  51. Hello! This is the Anonymous that told you that Fred died in '97. I didn't want you to get your anonymouses (I have no idea what the plural is for that) confused. But I didn't figure out all that other info. I'm not that smart :). I just wanted to say that I'm hoping for all three: a book, an encyclopedia, and a multi-player game. And since Fred died in '97, that means that the whole Hogwarts battle happened then.

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  52. Guys, I've got a new post up based on an accurate prediction that Molly made in the comment trail.

    Check it out:
    http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-multiplying-owls-point-to-online.html

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  53. Susan, had you noticed that the two videos whose times we could see are 7 minutes and 7 minutes and 10 seconds (7:00 and 7:10)?

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  54. No, I hadn't Ragmar! Running to go look now... :-)

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  55. This is probably irrelevant, but I found a page:
    http://www.dialabc.com/words/search/index.html?pnum=&dict=american&pad=uk&filter=normal&mtcontinue=Find+Words
    You can enter numbers and see if they would spell anything on a keypad. Roxanne made me think about this when she brought up that they use numbers to spell "magic" on a telephone to get into the ministry in OOTP.
    I took the increasing number of owls, 244557, and it spelled "chills." No luck with anything else though.

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  56. Guys, the blog has been updated with a chart of possible coordinates for the possible scavenger hunt tomorrow. Please check it and let me know what you think? Am I sleep-deprived and crazy?

    http://bit.ly/jPmNgF

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  57. also, there are 6 birds that dont move when you touch them

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  58. Again, back to my theory, I'm not saying the 2,4,4,5,5,7 means anything (but it very well could!) I'm saying that...

    2
    > 2
    4 > 2
    > 0
    4 > 1
    > 1
    5 > 1
    > 0
    5 > 2
    > 2
    7

    Soo 244557 turns into 20102 which turns into 2112 (2 January, 2012???) and then finally to 101.. basic info hmmm

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  59. Kim, I wish I'd had that link a couple of days ago! I was trying my best to make out words from some of those numbers on the Youtube, just using my own very limited brain power! :-(

    Thanks so much for sharing it. We may still need it come tomorrow.

    And Mark - thanks for your note about the birds that don't move. I'd lost count of those that don't. Welcome to the blog!

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  60. Hi Niki!Thanks so much for putting a name to one of the anonymousi :-). I really think you hit on one of the important details. Tomorrow will hopefully show soon enough.

    And I'm like you -- I'm hoping for a Potter Universe that will somehow include it all (or most of it!).

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  61. Anonymous -- thanks so much for posting all those tidbits from JKR's Harvard speech. That speech is absolutely one of the best I've every heard. I find it so inspirational. My hunch is that she included it twice because it was such a key moment in her life, and thus is something that would be important to the encyclopedia. That, or the location, Harvard, might be the location of an object to find, if the scavenger hunt proves to be correct.

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  62. But why would the chart end at "101?" If it were to continue, it would end at 0. It seems to be a sequence.
    I'm sure everyone has already read this, as I came across it last thursday:
    "Providing multiple-user access to a global computer information network; providing on-line chat rooms and electronic bulletin boards for transmission of messages among users in the field of general interest; providing on-line communications links which transfer the web site user to other local and global web pages; providing on-line facilities for real-time interaction with other computer users concerning topics of general interest."
    It doesn't sound much like an encyclopedia.

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  63. So I just looked into the dates with the account being created on May 31, 2011 and the video being posted on February 4th. If you do the math and subtract the two dates, you get May 27th which is James Potter's birthday. Thought that might be a note of interest.

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  64. Sorry, not may MARCH

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  65. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  66. Also, you guys probably saw this already, but on her website if you go on the flashgame and click on the eraser it'll take you to a door, on the corner you'll find a set of numbers the object can switch the numbers 5 or 6 times.

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  67. Guys, all the information on the release is at a new post at: http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/pottermore-final-reveal.html

    I'll respond here shortly when things calm down a bit! :-)

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  68. The thingy in the corner on J.K Rowling's website looks like it switches to dates. If you go furthest down, you get 23/06/11, which, in a sense, is today's date. Maybe all the others are too. But I don't know how it all relates to pottermore.....

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  69. Chereoh19 - that's the time turner and will take you back to days when JKR's "office" door opened to reveal secrets in the past. It's all games she played with us before!

    Niki, are you talking about the time-turner as well?

    JKR did update the website today with news of Pottermore, just a brief bit in her news section.

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  70. Hi, has anyone considered the chapters that are shown in the video?
    Chapters 10, 11 and 12 of book 1 are shown..
    Chapter 10 is called 'Halloween' - which is in the month that Pottermore is said to be open to all
    Chapter 11 is called Quidditch - a game
    Chapter 12 is called The Mirror of Eristed
    I think that the titles are reflecting Hogwarts as a game where we can join in.
    This is just something I found interesting about the video, I may be completely wrong...

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  71. george papastratigakisJuly 7, 2011 at 2:07 PM

    go to the website www.pottermore.com on the desk with the owl in the backround there are numbers (large) on the left side of the desk.


    also if you right-click to see the backround image you will see 5 previously unseen owls as well as 2 banners very blurry to read. please try to zoom in to see and tell me what it says

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  72. George -- In my opinion, and I may be wrong, those banners don't say anything legible. I zoomed in, and it's just nothing but blur.

    Also, I don't see the numbers you're referring to on the desk. Can you be more specific where?

    Thanks for visiting!

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  73. Anonymous -- I'm sory I missed your post earlier. If you're still here, thanks so much for catching all those chapters of the book that are shown. Maybe that will come in helpful when she gives us more of a clue about how to get in early. And I believe you're on the right track with why those chapters were chosen. JKR usually has a deeper meaning behind everything she does. :-)

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  74. george papastratigakisJuly 28, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    hi!

    the numbers are located underneath the candle and the stack of letters

    check this:(i hope i did this right)

    http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/unledode.png/

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  75. george papastratigakisJuly 28, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    also check the number of "owls"(possibly) outside the windows :5

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  76. george papastratigakisJuly 28, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    consider the idea that just popped into my head as well

    couldn't all these numbers be an Ottendorf cipher and not map coordinates?

    (i was watching national treasure when it hit me!)

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  77. George!!! Are you there!!!!! I think you found a major clue!!!!!!

    Sorry to be so late to respond, but I was away for 3 days without Internet!

    I blew up and lightened the picture of the desk, and made out what seemed to be 29 in the area you circled. Still not sure that's what it was, I looked up Ottendorf cipher, as you mentioned. As that's a book code, I decided to check p. 29 of Philosopher's Stone (the Bloomsbury edition).

    And guess what happens on that page -- Harry gets his first letter from Hogwarts!!!!

    You're brilliant!!!!!

    I want to post this. Do you want to write it up and I post, or do you want me to write it and credit you?

    ReplyDelete
  78. Guys, I've posted with a possible new clue to early entry for Pottermore, with help from one of this blog's commentators, George Papastratigakis. Check: http://bit.ly/pufK8I

    George, let me know what you think!

    ReplyDelete
  79. george papastratigakisJuly 29, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    hello again !!!
    glad i could help!!

    as far as the numbers on the desk are concerned i believe that they are as follows :
    121961 (can't be too sure about it though)(i enhanced the pic a bit although you can clearly see the upper curves of the first and last number in my sequence, number 6 is also clearly visible)

    there appears to be a thin line separating the first from the second number

    in my opinion i believe that it refers to the first book in the series (so as to separate it from the others)

    please note that between the next three numbers 219 there is no amount of visible space between them. they are practically stuck together.
    as apposed to 6 and finally 1 which are evenly spaced out.

    so i'm guessing it to be as follows:

    book 1
    page 219
    line 6
    word 1

    please check it out and notify me asap.

    (i'm from greece and i only have the books in the greek language so i can't check it out)

    my guess is that the answer is hidden in the english edition and not in the american one (if it is indeed a book cypher)

    ReplyDelete
  80. george papastratigakisJuly 29, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    check this out
    http://imageshack.us/f/17/unlednaw.png/

    and again thank you so much!!

    sp sipal- send me your email to contact if you like

    ReplyDelete
  81. George -- I checked p. 219 of PS, line 6, first word -- it's "think". This is the Bloomsbury edition. p. 219 is just a few pages from the very end of the book. The "think" is here:

    Harry: "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I "think" he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know."

    While that quote is great for Pottermore, and certainly relevant, I still "think" that clue may be p. 29 of PS where Harry receives his first Hogwarts letter.

    ReplyDelete
  82. george papastratigakisJuly 29, 2011 at 6:53 PM

    bummer. i thought it would me more of a password or something

    why rush to the first book though ? why choose the first and not one of the other 6?

    furthermore book cyphers are supposed to pass information in the form of individual letters or words to form a message.

    i dont quite get it...

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  83. george papastratigakisJuly 29, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    maybe the fifth book
    (number of owls on windows)
    but then how would the sequence go?

    random guesses...

    ReplyDelete
  84. George, I want to put your picture up on the new post with your theory, but it will have to wait for about an hour because I've got to rush to do something. Let me know if that's ok.

    I'll be glad to check the other books, but I checked the first because all Pottermore will be when it starts is book 1.

    ReplyDelete
  85. george papastratigakisJuly 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    that's perfectly fine by me

    and i didn't know the last bit. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  86. george papastratigakisJuly 29, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    btw i do like your theory about the first letter (p.29) seeing as there are letters in the pic right above the numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Ok, George, I updated with your pics and theory:
    http://bit.ly/pufK8I

    Also, I'm sure you're aware, the desk is where the invitations to Hogwarts are sent from, with the book on the desk being where names of magical births are recorded so McGonagall knows who to send the letters to.

    ReplyDelete
  88. HEY has anyone looked at the banners in the back? If you lighten the image, you can see, behind the desk there are two banners. one is purple or blue, the other is gold, orange, or red.. BOTH look like they have some kind of writing on them,but I lack the software to sharpen it enough to read. But I swear there is something written on them.

    Also, I have noticed that some of those owls in the far window are not bird looking, but rather flying letters.

    Also, has anyone noticed that the large book is PINK.? Maybe nothing, but maybe relating to Umbridge in the 5th book.? Maybe try plugging those numbers into the 5th book, or exploring umbridge more.

    Also, struck me as odd.. The bell... It has been a while since I have read the series.. was there every anything with a bell? It jsut seems weird to me.

    Feel free to tell me what you think of my ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  89. george papastratigakisJuly 30, 2011 at 7:42 AM

    look closely at the second banner between the curves that theses illegible words form,
    are there any spaces?
    no. in my opinion they are nothing more than simple designs.
    can you imagine a small text with words that big?
    initially i saw that myself as text,but i do not believe it to be anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Hi K.A.E -- We must think a lot alike! I just answered your question about the banner script on the newer post (http://bit.ly/pufK8I) and while doing so also commented on that bell as I hadn't paid much attention to it before. (Could be a reference to the Bell Jar in the Department of Ministries). Then I come here and see you've noticed the bell too! :-)

    I had not noticed before about the owls that look more like flying letters, but you're right. Those two in the right window don't seem to have heads or tails, just squarish flapping wings. However, I'm not sure what that would signify if it's truly meant to be that way as the owls are there to carry the letters anyway.

    What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  91. You said something in your last post, other post.. About the hummingbird cycling between an egg and a hummingbird.

    Perhaps then, the BELL is meant to symbolize "Rebirth"?
    This would not be a concept she had not explored before, such as with the Phoenix, and even kind of with Harry in the last book. Dying and being reborn stronger, etc.

    Perhaps it is a metaphor for Pottermore being a rebirth of the series? She has said she wanted to reach a whole new community.

    The letters.... The only letter that I remember flying of its own accord was the interoffice communications of the Ministry.

    Maybe there is some tie to the Minstry of Magic?

    I also wonder about that book still. Do you remember any other times when "pink" was made a distinctive feature of something?
    The only thing I can think of is Umbridge and all that darn PINK. It just stood out so much to me, since it did not match any other color scheme.

    I am inclined to agree with you, that clue relating to the numbers should be found within the first book, since it all starts there. But if you have a copy of the Order of the Phoenix laying around ( sadly I do not) maybe plug those numbers you used on the Sorcerers Stone in and see what sentence/chapter you come to. J.K.R often talks about previous stuff or things in later books, so maybe there is a reference. Or maybe I am just crazy and sleep deprived. Well, I am sleep deprived, its the crazy thats in question.


    Also, do you know if any other coordiants can generate locations in Secret Street View, other than ones J>KR or her staff has put in there?
    Could you actually stumble upon a random location that meant nothing?

    I managed to get up a location or two, but none had street views, and none pointed to populated areas or specific towns.

    One was in egypt someplace, and the other in Africa.

    Weird thing is, when I put in the coordinats for the first clue again, it took me for a moment to London and then to Salem...

    There was a number on a building in London by the first clue, and when I typed it in right, it gave me some unspecific local in Africa. It was right next to the word Access, but I think that it might just be random and nothing. ??

    _______________

    Above post, Okay, I wrote this, it would not post and thne I came back.

    So the numbers, the first strand I got by guessing, relevant dates, etc.

    It led me to someplace in tunsnia or something. what I did see on the base map were road markers, that had letters and numbers. I took the numbers from left to right and made a combination, and again I was off to another place, seemingly in russia or europe someplace. same thing.. took road marker numbers, and now I am back in America, Near salen, but still in some indiscreet location. but I see the marker for salem.. here are the steps I used. in a post below.

    ReplyDelete
  92. 31.199111,-19971711

    First coordiant I tried... I made it up, based on relevant dates, etc.

    from where it took me, i hit the minus ( zoom out button) just until I saw numbers, then I figured out this one

    49.34949,-319

    did the same thing on that one, and now I am stuck here

    44.442,-71

    the numbers I can see from where I am at are 11016161622222265 but I am not sure if I should be using all of those or not..

    The one that was on the building was 0800.122,-522 or .522 I will go back there and see if I see any numbers on roads or not. I still don't know if this could just be a random thing..

    What do you think??

    ReplyDelete
  93. K.A.E -- Wow, you're really working hard here. Here's a few ideas/responses:

    1) the coordinates -- I did try several coordinates into that Street map to see if I could come up with anything new. I used numbers from the Pottermore Youtube Flash. In the end, I felt like there was nothing there. One, I didn't find anything, and 2) the Streetview site had been hacked into and they'd only found the Pottermore letters. But, you can find the work I did on the coordinates here:
    http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-multiplying-owls-point-to-online.html

    2) I did use George's formula and looked up that page, line, and word # in Bloomsbury OotP. The word was "well." Not much to go on there.

    3)Pink was the color of Hagrid's umbrella, which hid his wand, and a favorite shade of Tonks.

    4) And yes, I definitely think JKR could be hinting at the theme of time, death, and rebirth with that bell on the desk.

    I'm glad someone else is enjoying this beyond me! But I may be slow to respond today as I have some family stuff going on. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  94. Can anyone visit the website right now?

    ReplyDelete
  95. Anonymous -- the Pottermore.com website is down. It may be because too many people are hitting refresh to see what happens at midnight UK time, or maybe they're updating. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  96. george papastratigakisJuly 30, 2011 at 7:08 PM

    please check ps page 113 isn't it in chapter 9??

    found it in another post

    ReplyDelete
  97. george papastratigakisJuly 30, 2011 at 7:11 PM

    and cos in the same fashion!

    also in another post
    you can find it here

    http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=128350&page=30

    please note the first phrases in the page mentioned

    ReplyDelete
  98. George, p. 113 in PS is when McGonagall and Wood talk about Harry being a Seeker.
    "Harry nodded silently."

    In CoS it's when Percy discovers Harry and Ron in Myrtle's bathroom and fusses them out.
    "Myrtle gave a tragic sob."

    The problem I'm still having with analyzing so much as a page in the book is that people around the world don't have the same editions. While I think JKR might make one or two hints at a page #, I don't think most of the Pottermore entry would be based on that, because too many people wouldn't have access.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Also, love how on that page you linked me to at the CoS forums, someone had posted almost one of my entire posts here on Pottermore and not said where she got it from! :-(

    ReplyDelete
  100. cos forums sais that 70 people are in!!!

    i HAAAAAAATE them... :-(

    ReplyDelete
  101. george papastratigakisJuly 30, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    thanks for checking anyways, worth a shot...

    ^^^ i agree if it's true

    ReplyDelete
  102. No, it was mentioned in a tweet somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  103. george papastratigakisJuly 30, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    Guys the page just appeared for me. I managed to get past the annoying page. Nothing whatsoever has changed.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Guys, the Quill Quest has been announced. I've started a new post to follow the clues as they are released. Check here:
    http://harrypotterforwriters.blogspot.com/2011/07/quill-quest-is-on.html

    ReplyDelete
  105. Also, please keep in mind that as the blog is so active right now with people talking, I may not be able to get to all posts, so I will focus on the newest one. If you want to be sure I see your comment for the time being, please post there!

    ReplyDelete
  106. The numbers thing may make sense. I mean, the example clue was a number.

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  107. Fun as it is to guess. Kids will have to figure this clue out, so i doubt it is going to be very complicated

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  108. Anonymous -- yes, you're right, both the sample and the clue revealed today were numbers! And you're right in that the clue was kept relatively simple.

    I've got a new post on it, you can read the latest here:
    http://bit.ly/nfOqg6

    ReplyDelete
  109. AND Today is Harry's Birthday, JK Rowlings Birthday,hmmm coincidence???

    ReplyDelete