JK Rowling updates official site (big time) [Archive]

Luna

16-03-2006, 22:46

JKRowling.com has been updated with several new changes this morning. There are many visual changes and five new easter eggs to hunt for! MuggleNet reader Ashley went through the site and sent us some of the biggest adjustments:

The "?" room, with the closed door, now has two bottles that you can pick up and pour drops from. They do nothing, so far. In the "Extra Stuff" bulletin board, there is a small doodle pad, which you can pick up the pen and draw on. There are a few new books on the bookshelf in her "Links" area, including "Sense and Sensibility" and "My Favorite Spells". Her "Fan Sites" trophy shelf is new, and in the "Rubbish Bin" there are some baby toys, Mackenzie's bib, and a small stuffed piggie. There is also a small pile of magnitized word magnets, that are movable, and a very old and gross looking cup of coffee. Oh yes, and the butterfly is now orange.

Also, a list of how to access the easter eggs from MuggleNet reader Kenny (Warning: Spoilers obviously below if you want to figure out how to access them yourself):

UPDATE: All secrets we've heard of that have been verified to work can now be found on our updated JKRowling.com Info section.

Luna

16-03-2006, 22:47

Order Outline: Go to the "Extra Stuff" Section. Take the pen off the string and drag it over to the blank sheet with the yellow thumbtack. Draw a lightening bolt in the middle of the sheet. Try and keep the pen as steady and centered as possible. It will reveal one of the revisions Jo made when planning Order of the Phoenix. It includes some Chapter Names that were changed as well a few ideas that didn't make the final draft.
Magical Creatures: Go to the Links area and click on the thin red book on the second shelf, Ancient Runes Made Easy. It reveals some information on several different magical creatures.

Teachers and Hippogriffs: First, go into the "Extra Stuff" Section. Turn the radio off, then on and wait a few seconds. Listen to the announcement telling you to put six drops of red potion followed by three of the green potion on a plant. Now, leave and click on the Eraser Portkey on the desktop. It brings you to the mysterious door. Now, follow the instructions with the potion on the plant. Now you have another scrapbook piece, revealing (around the time of Prisoner of Azkaban) genders of teachers and some attempts for hippogriff names.

Original Synopsis: Go to the Rubbish Bin and move the mug four times in a clockwise circle. When you do that, stop: it forms a circle inside. Now leave and go to the Extra Stuff section, click on the card that says "Circle" with a circle on it. Now you have an original synopsis of Philosopher's Stone.

The Cell Phone 4: Go to the main page. On the phone, dial "31071965" (which happens to be Jo's birthday, 7/31/65). Now you have an early (around 1994) draft of Philosopher's Stone.

Draco's surname: Go to the Fan Sites page. To the right, click on the small red box five times. It will open. Click the question mark bubble to get the same clue as the phone-dialing one. An early (around 1994) draft of Philosopher's Stone and information that Draco's surname used to be "Spungen."

The Cell Phone: Besides unlocking a hidden surprise, if you stay on the front page long enough, the cell phone in the top left corner will ring. Pick it up to see if someone is on the other end!

The Cell Phone 2: Dial 733837 (P-E-E-V-E-S) and you'll unlock another item for your scrapbook! (Thanks to Lindsay for this secret)

The Cell Phone 3: Dial 62442 (M-A-G-I-C, as mentioned in OoP) and you'll unlock something for your scrapbook.

The Eraser: In the Extra Stuff section, grab the eraser on the bottom of the bulletin board and move it around the blank paper. Then, double click the small green leaves above the image, and they'll disappear. Next on the main page, wait for the spider to crawl on the screen and double click that. In the links section double click the potion bottle on the shelf. Finally in the Fansites section click the feather. Clicking on all of them will add something to the scrapbook! (Thanks to everyone that sent this in!)

The Key: On the Links page, click the book with the question mark on its spine and move it to the left, then grab the key and put it on the chest on the right side of the screen.

The Leaking Pen: Go to the Rubbish Bin area, then double click on the pen to the left of the trash bin. This will crack it in half and make the pen leak ink that will reveal the secret to getting another item added to your scrapbook. The first item you need to click on are the eggs, located on the right side of the Rubbish Bin page. Next, go to the Extra Stuff section and click on the hair seen right under the blank pad of paper. Then finally, head over to the Fan Sites page. Click and drag the empty medal box to the right or left and it will reveal marbles. Click on those and you'll have a new item added to your scrapbook! (Thanks to all of those who were quick on figuring it out!)

The Light Switch: Click it, and the light turns off. Click it again, light turns back on again. Like magic! We're not sure why she has a light switch on her desk... or tabloids, for that matter. Tsk tsk, Jo!

The 2nd Light Switch: Another light switch can be found in the "Mysterious Door" area, which will turn on the light outside of that oh-so-mysterious room. While it doesn't reveal any secrets at the present time, maybe one day it will!

The Marble: On the main page, there is a marble located right in between the FAQ portkey and the Welcome notepad. Browse around the site for a moment, then go back to the main page and wait a few minutes until a Mysterious Wind blows through. Click the marble when it starts to swirl and you'll unlock another goodie in your notebook! (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

The Medals: Go to Fan Sites, there are two different medals with a question mark. Pick up and place them in the empty holders next to the Fan Site Trophy.

The Radio: In the Extra Stuff section, the radio can be turned on or off to listen to some music while browing the area.