J.K. Rowling reveals Potter family history on new Pottermore site
Pottermore, the online portal containing everything Harry Potter-related, has been spruced up. The site relaunched a “newly imagined” version Tuesday with an introductory note from Rowling, and an essay from the author, explaining the Potter family’s history.
Released Tuesday, the essay, “The Potter Family,” explains the Potter lineage from the 12th century onward, starting with wizard Linfred of Stinchcombe, whom Rowling describes as a locally well-beloved and eccentric man, and whose nickname, ‘the Potterer,’ became corrupted in time to ‘Potter.'”
She also explains how the Potters came to own the Invisibility Cloak:
Linfred’s eldest son, Hardwin, married a beautiful young witch by the name of Iolanthe Peverell, who came from the village of Godric’s Hollow. She was the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell. In the absence of male heirs, she, the eldest of her generation, had inherited her grandfather’s invisibility cloak. It was, Iolanthe explained to Hardwin, a tradition in her family that the possession of this cloak remained a secret, and her new husband respected her wishes. From this time on, the cloak was handed down to the eldest in each new generation.
Watch Rowling’s intro note for the new site below, and for the full “The Potter Family” essay, head to Pottermore.