Catching Up With the Best of New 'Potter' Content

On Monday, J.K. Rowling released a new Pottermore short story about Celestina Warbeck. It's just one of the many tales she's offered through the site that's gotten us jazzed for more Potter — and rightfully so. But let's take a look at something else before the Celestina Story, and before the Rita Skeeter story, and even before the Quiddich story.

An interesting thing happened when J.K. Rowling posted a new Harry Potter short story featuring her famous trio: people published things about it that seemed to completely disregard (or simply not realize) that Rowling's been adding new Harry Potter material since just weeks after Deathly Hallows, Part 2 hit theaters. So although catching up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their 30s was a real treat, Pottermore's been promising us — in fitting with its name — more Potter since day one. And it's kinda been delivering.

Rowling announced Pottermore on the the release day of the final Harry Potter movie. It brought with it, as most declarations by Rowling, a heightened level of excitement. When the site launched a few weeks later, it was received to mixed reviews — its board-game feel seemed to cater to a younger audience than initially anticipated. But Pottermore kept putting out content. Sure, it couldn't ever replace, say, a marauders prequel — but it was still new information about the Harry Potter world, and that comes with a certain thrill.

Pottermore has a lot in its history. Here are three of the most notable bits of Potter content that can be found on Pottermore so far that you might not know about. Keep in mind: The site's only been updated to Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire. There's a lot more to come.

The Dursleys Meet James Potter

We know the Dursleys (and their bigoted ways) pretty well. But one key figure in Harry Potter we don't know very well is James Potter — which is why Rowling's re-telling of Lily introducing James to her sister and her sister's new husband Vernon was a pretty cool moment to see, even if it ended with Vernon being the close-minded dick he usually is.

A behind-the-scenes on the Malfoys

Did you know that a Malfoy ancestor is rumored to have jinxed Queen Elizabeth I into being opposed to marriage after she rejected him? Now you do! There are a ton of fun Malfoy facts in Pottermore, including the fact that they used to pal up with wealthy Muggle families — they were always elitists, but they didn't form their anti-Muggle agenda until it suited their ambitions. They are also, like many pure-blood Wizarding families, hella imbred.

Remus Lupin's History

Is it really any wonder that a man named Remus Lupin became a werewolf? It is not. But many readers have long longed for more time with Remus Lupin, and this content took us from his parents courtship, to being bitten by Fenrir Greyback, to his painful childhood — and then through his rather painful adulthood. Why you gotta make us hurt like this, J.K. Rowling? Why can't the marauders just be happy?

I hurt a lot.

Oh god, the pain.

Rowling weighs in on Aunt Marge's K9 hobby

Sometimes the most fun things about J.K. Rowling are just her random thoughts:

You can read the full extent of the content — and get sorted by a system Rowling set up herself — over at Pottermore proper.

Images: Pottermore