Welcome to the fifth edition of Ask Elm. I’m getting lots of questions now! To ask a question: CLICK HERE. Hope you guys are ready, this is a LONG one. And I STILL have questions in queue. I am also responding as quickly as I can to the questions via e-mail, so you don’t necessarily have to wait until the next Ask Elm publishes to get an answer.
Answers to questions below the cut…
With my Beta Screen Name On Potttermore in Diagon Ally some of the shops are still locked other than the ones required to go on the shoping list,I think I’ve found everything there is to be found including Gallions although my Galleons are at 0 is there a way to replenish Galleons? Is there a way to unlock those locked shops Not on the shopping list?
-Wayne
Answer:
Once you have run out of Galleons, there is no way to replenish them until Chamber of Secrets has opened. It says in the Terms & Conditions you receive gold before each term. If you need anything in the mean time let me know, I can always send you some potion ingredients.
At the moment, those shops are remaining locked for everyone. I suspect the plan is for them to unlock when coresponding books open on the site. For example I suspect that Knockturn Alley will open once we hit the chapter in Chamber of Secrets where Harry visits Knockturn Alley. It is not confirmed, but this is my base suspicion.
Though some of the shops are not correlated to books, such as the The Junk Shop or Obscurus Books, which were not featured in any of the novels that I’m aware of. So it’s really hard to tell when they intend to start opening these other shops, but at the moment none of them are accessible. Which is a shame, because I really want to go into the Daily Prophet. *prods the locked shop with her wand*
How do you find the Philosopher’s Stone?
-Michelle
Answer:
The Philosopher’s Stone is in Harry’s Pocket. But it is not a collectible item that will appear in your trunk, because as we all know after this it is destroyed. It does however unlock new information from J. K. Rowling.
the tag before Diagon alley is locked is it like this for all of the others to.
-Amy
Answer:
Yes, this icon was originally intended for the Pottermore E-Book shop, but as the shop is now open and the icon has remained locked, I suspect they are going to use it for something else in future. But for the moment, it remains locked for all users.
Hello, I’ve been having major issues with my potions and I’m hoping to figure out if it’s me, or if the website is glitching because it’s still so new. I’ve brewed all the potions. Then yesterday potion after potion starting telling me that I wasn’t keeping the temperature within range. The temperature stays in the green for the allotted amount of time. I’ve tried turning off the heat when the time ends: same failure. I’ve tried keeping it between the gold lines until I wave my wand: same failure. I didn’t change how I was brewing the potions so I don’t understand how I could be making a mistake, but I’m open to being told that it’s me who is being incredibly dumb and not the website messing up. Please please please let me know if you know anything, because failure after failure is kind of disheartening even if it is just a silly website. Thank you!
~Regina/HawthornFang
Answer:
If this is happening to any of you, it seems to be a glitch, to report it (HELP -> OTHER -> WHAT’S NEXT? -> NEED MORE HELP?)
i keep trying to leave a comment on my house board but every time i try, the comment gets a red box around it and a cross by the side and it says the comment is ‘under moderation’ but i’ve never seen any of my comments actually appear on this board? Does this happen to everyone and is there anything i can do about it? Thanks!
-StarGirl
Answer:
The comment moderation is stringent, it will take a long time if the red box appears for your comment to ever appear on the boards. Normally, if I get the moderation box I reword my comment until it will post. It does not like mis-spelled words, numbers, and symbols. If you attempt to post a word that is not in their acceptable word data bank it will go into moderation.
There is a glitch that doesn’t allow one to sign up for pottermore due to a loop. How does one get around this loop?
- Cassie
In book 1, chapter 3, moment 1, I can’t zoom. I even went back to the very first chapter and made my way up to the third chapter, checking zoom during each moment. It worked fine. I then skipped up to chapter 4 and the same thing happened. What’s going on? Thanks for your help.
-Charlotte
Hi! When I got to Chapter 9 of the first book, I noticed a glitch. When I get to the Forbidden Corridor door, my computer just freezes. The screen won’t zoom in and the letters to complete the Alohamora spell don’t appear. I’m so sad I can’t move on past this part right now! Can you help?
-Alex
Why can’t I pick up objects? I have tried to click and pick up the alarm clock but can’t.
-Diane
Hey Elm! I need your help. I’m trying to get into the forbidden corridor in chapter 9, moment 3 on Pottermore, but it doesn’t respond when I try pressing ‘a’ to start the ‘alohomora’ spell
Also, when I try clicking on something in ‘Read about’, the whole board simply disappears. This happened in chapters 3 and 4 as well, but has been working fine in the other chapters. Do you think this is a glitch that I should report to the Pottermore staff?
-Siri
Answer:
I put all of these questions together because I have the same suggestion for all issues: try a different browser.
As Pottermore is a flash based site, I have been getting messages about things not loading properly. Either people can not select things, can not cast spells, can not proceed through registration, etc. In most circumstances UPDATING or switching to an alternative browser has solved the problem.
I have had people switch from IE to Chrome, Chrome to Firefox, Firefox to Chrome. The problem is not localized to one browser.
Personally, I have used all the browsers to browse Pottermore, and as long as the browser is the absolute current version you should not have any problems with the browser. But if you are on one and having issues I recommend downloading one of the other browsers new and trying it from there.
Now ideally, most people would prefer NOT to switch browsers just to browse one specific site, so this is just a workaround for you in the mean time until they get it fixed.
I also recommend you report it (HELP -> OTHER -> WHAT’S NEXT? -> NEED MORE HELP?).
The new info about wandlore was the most interesting new material so far but I wish there had been more because now I have lots of further questions(Of course I do I’m a Ravenclaw)! By any chance do you think your wand figures into what house you are sorted into? Or perhaps some of the wand questions are re-analyzed for the sorting? Is the question about eye color given to everyone? If so I would really like to read Ollivander’s notes about the correlation between eye color and wands. Do you know whether there is a scale of flexibility. My wand is 10″, yew, phoenix core and surprisingly swishy, what is the difference between swishy and bendy for instance? Sorry too many questions.
Thanks for your time, gin
Answer:
To the best of my knowledge, the wand questions do not factor into your sorting, but really there is no way to tell 100% for certain on this just by playing. The questions for the wand are the same for everyone, they do not change like the sorting, so everyone gets the same sequencing (Height, eyecolor, even or odd birthdate, etc). There are over 10,000 permeatations of wands, making it immensely hard as a user to pinpoint which questions effect what, and how your eye color might effect it. So unless they decide to share this information with us, it’s to be left a mystery.
The unlocked information from JK Rowling on wand flexibility is limited: “Wand flexibility or rigidity denotes the degree of adaptability and willingness to change possessed by the wand-and-owner pair – although, again, this factor ought not to be considered separately from the wand wood, core and length, nor of the owner’s life experience and style of magic, all of which will combine to make the wand in question unique.”
This does not tell us of course which is more flexibly, swishy or bendy. Though my instinct says bendy is more. But I really couldn’t tell you for sure.
Hi Elm, So, I’ve run through the first book and I love what they’ve done. It’s amazing. But I noticed that I haven’t unlocked the “Measurements” information in the first chapter, second part. I’ve looked several times and can’t find, for lack of a better word, icon to unlock it. Any ideas or clues you can give me?!
Thanks, ~B
Answer:
A full list of how to unlock the special info from JK Rowling is coming to go along with the other lists in Pottermore Help. In the mean time, for this one, click on the light pole.
How do I collect book’s/objects please. chapter2 moment 1, cant see any berti beans, scaned the floor nothing. chapter5 moment 3, list will not dissapear in order for me to look for anything.
-Chris
Answer:
The Bertie-botts beans are on the table and you can only click on them after you have zoomed. The shopping list is lying on the ground in front of Gringott’s. You must also zoom in for this. For a complete list of these type of objects CLICK HERE.
i cannot find the rockcake in chap 8 moment 3 hagrid is standing in the doorway and i cannot see a shelf. what do i do ? it is the last thing i need for my trunk.
-Ginger
Answer:
You have to zoom in, and in the space behind Hagrid and Fang you will find a piece of paper on the table that you can read, and above that the Rock cake to be collected.
When I try to post a comment anywhere on the site it always brings me back to the sign in page. Is this what happens to everyone or is it a glitch?
-Reva
Answer:
This must be a glitch, as I have not had it happen to me, but I have had a couple of people ask me about it. It should only ever log you out after you have been inactive for a few minutes. To report a glitch (HELP -> OTHER -> WHAT’S NEXT? -> NEED MORE HELP?)
Greetings and Salutations, I am wondering if you know if different Spells have a different maximum cast proficiency scores? For instance, I mostly get beat by a Full Body-Bind score of about 140, and I pretty much mastered the Fire Making spell and get like 120 all the time. Again, I am just wondering if you know (or read somewhere) the maximum cast proficiency of spells? Make sense?
-Cheers, SpikeMugwump11039
In the spell books, each spell has a different color background, do these indicate anything? Everyone is consistantly using Patrificus Totalis (Total Body-Binding) because it can max out over 140 dueling points. Is there a point to using other spells then? For example, if i Get a 115 with the Tickle Hex, that is near perfect, and red. Would there be any indication that a lower-point, but different color spell may beat Pat Tot?
-Nikki
Answer:
I have been working on a Dueling 101 to go with Potions 101 here on the blog, but as I’m not as good at Dueling as I am at potions I haven’t completed it yet.
One thing I can tell you for sure, the maximum cast strength of the Full-Body Bind is 145 and it is the highest earning spell. Sad to say, if you want to win a duel, there isn’t any point in attempting one of the other spells. I have sent emails myself because I think the duels should allow the challenger to select a spell, and both duelers attempt the same spell and whoever gets stronger wins. This would at least allow the other spells to get some use.
In regards to the different color background, I am assuming that it is different category types of spells. But I attempted to figure out the rhyme and reason behind the color choices and have not figured it out. There is no spell available in Dueling that will beat a max cast Full-Body Bind, regardless of the color of it’s icon.
how do i enter hogwarts in pottermore? i just joined that website so i need help. i just wanted to ask how to join hogwarts.
-fruit99punch
Answer:
You have to play through the chapters, you get to Hogwarts in the same chapter that Harry does.
It’s past the beta testing and it is open to everyone, I am through the first book and trying to play the second. Why won’t it let me move on to the chamber of secrets? I keep reading peoples comments on the next books so I know it’s possible, what’s the trick to move on?
-Morgan
When will the other books be out to explore? is there a specific date or are they letting all potter heads wonder!
-StormGoblet
I have just finished the first book on Pottermore, but it won’t let me start the second book! It does not have the button to click that says something like “Explore This Chapter”… All it says is “Friends on this chapter: 0″ (You are my only Friend)…I am not sure whether or not this is something I should report, or if this is something that others are waiting on as well… I heard that people are waiting for the Chamber of Secrets to open, but does that mean that I will not be able to read and explore any further? I have been waiting forever for this wonderful experience, and I hope that I am not going to have to wait any longer… PLEASE HELP!!!!!! Thanks!
-Sarah
When will Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secerts be realeased? It was said to be early 2012, but its already April and it is not realeased. Thanks! PS… Add me!
-Arman
do u know when book 2 will be open?
-Ginger
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can you let me know by email as soon as you have any information on when Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will be open on Pottermore. In the meantime i will continue to check Pottermore daily THANK YOU SO MUCH ElmBlade43 you were a great help in informing the public and me in the upcoming days to the realse of Pottermore.
-Joseph
When will Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets be ready to explore?
-Anvita
Answer:
I’m starting to think that people click right past this pop-up, which appears when you reach the end of the last chapter of the Philosopher’s Stone.
The Chamber of Secrets section of Pottermore has not yet opened. We have absolutely no date. All we have are vague notions from the Pottermore Insider and the CEO of pottermore stating that more things will come over “weeks and months”. But the CEO said with certainty that for the next book “months” was more accurate. They had originally said “Early 2012″ but that was when the site was slated to open last October. So it is safe to say that CoS was bumped back as much as the opening, if not MORE.
I will be opening a Chamber of Secrets watch just like I had for the opening later on down the line, once I have reason to think that the book might be opening soon. But rest assured you all are not being left out, there is absolutely no one who has access to the second book. We are all waiting together!
Phew, that was a lot, keep them questions coming people! Click here to submit a question to Ask Elm.
Absolutely fabulous site! I just joined a couple of hours ago, and am entirely enjoying the experience. Your 101s helped me get through my first few dueling attempts!
Glad you found it helpful!
Reading through here was helpful! I have also been having the problem posting, as I always have to sign in again before I can post. I just sent a message to Pottermore and hopefully the problem will be resolved.
In the mean time, on Safari, click the “keep me logged in” box when you log in. On my iPhone when I visit the common room it logs me out when I post comments. The comments still post but I have to log back in. The other day I finally checked that box and now I don’t have to do that anymore.