The Bookseller reports that, after a closed beta that lasted a lot longer than originally promised, the Pottermore website based around the Harry Potter books has finally fully opened to the public.

The site began taking on new users very early Saturday morning, intentionally opening at a time of low demand, but even as the day went on, Pottermore CEO Charlie Redmayne said that traffic rates were not “anywhere near a level that we are concerned about.” The reason for the extended closed beta was to get the site ready to handle the expected high traffic, and Redmayne said the site was being monitored to make sure it continues to offer all users a good experience.

At the moment, Pottermore is themed around the first book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (or Sorcerer’s) Stone. Material relating to subsequent books will be added in future updates. The site also features some original material written by J.K. Rowling pertaining to the books, such as an explanation of why the Dursleys live at “number 4” Privet Drive.

I haven’t had time to explore the site myself yet, but it’s definitely on my to-do list. It’s great that it’s finally available to Harry Potter’s legion of fans, even if it is a few months (or, from one perspective, years) late.

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