Pottermore-

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Okay - I confess; I joined Pottermore, out of sheer curiosity. I want to know if, by any strange chance, I will sort to Slytherin, and also what sort of wand I get. Still, some things struck me at once (I've spent about 20 minutes exploring the first chapter):

When describing Number 4, Privet Drive, Rowling said that she chose the number four because she disliked that number, finding it hard and unforgiving. I believe those were the exact words! Do you suppose that feeling is limited to the number four, or might it extend to other numbers?

On a more serious note, she based the look and floorplan of the house on that of a house she lived in herself - and got wierded out because, without discussing it with her, the filmmakers got the floorplan exactly right.

And - this is fascinating! - she had to argue with the publishers, who wanted to convert all the British measurements into metric ones. She also said that Wizards can do complex calculations magically. Can they, really? Then why did we never see them doing this?

Oh, dear. Maths.

But I'm very glad that she talked the publishers into keeping the old fashioned measurements. Can you imagine a metric Wizarding World? I can't.

Comments

[sunnyskywalker]

That's what gets me, too. Not that the story didn't go that way in general, but that she had so many things pointing that way, highlighted in bright colors as if to say HEY IMPORTANT ELEMENT HERE, and then dropped them. You'd think that after introducing Muggle-baiting at the World Cup, then mentioning Muggle murder victims in HBP and having the Muggle PM as an actual PoV character, the Muggle theme would go somewhere. It's the same problem as problem with the magical species subplot. "Look, pay attention, wizards treat them badly! Let's mention goblin rebellions and then bring disaffected goblins onstage, and meet centaurs and then meet increasingly anti-wizard centaurs, and show even more problems with house elf servitude... and then forget about it as soon as we're done robbing Gringotts and make sure Harry gets a sandwich." Does not follow. As you say, if she had just left those bits out, it wouldn't seem so jarring.