Pottermore's Second Christmas Gift Unwraps Leaky Cauldron, Ghost Plot

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On the second day of Christmas J.K. Rowling gave to me, a trip down to Diagon Alley.

Pottermore has done it again. For its second day of #PottermoreChristmas, J.K. Rowling has doubled the surprises, and given us a few trinkets along the way.

"The colourful, glittering windows of Diagon Alley may be plastered with sombre Ministry posters in Half-Blood Prince but today's festive surprise takes you to the one place that's sure to put a smile on your face," said Pottermore on its official website.

We first start of with a riddle: "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes is a marvelous place full of jokes and potions by the box and case.

The premises are stuffed with people ready to pop, but on what magical street can you find this fun shop?"

The answer: Diagon Alley. Yes, the magical street every Harry Potter fanatic wishes they could visit and peruse the magical shops (and finally get their hands on that oversized lollipop Harry stole from Neville in the third film).

When you answer the riddle, you are taken inside Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and with your mouse you can click on objects and collect some free items from the shop (you can also pop balloons, which is what I did the majority of the time).

After clicking around some more, you will eventually collect a love potion, extendable ear, puking pastille, and a fake wand. Score! Christmas list complete!

As you explore, you will soon enter different layers of the shop and discover two new writings from J.K. Rowling. In the first layer, you will find: "The Leaky Cauldron."

The Leaky Cauldron is a popular pub in the wizarding world located on Charing Cross Road. It is also the main entrance to Diagon Alley, where witches and wizards can access the magical shops.

Rowling tells readers that the Leaky Cauldron is the oldest pub in London, and since the 1500s, witches and wizards have congregated there.

In fact, before the International Statute of Secrecy, muggles were able to see the shop, but after the secrecy was in place, they couldn't.

We learn about an ancient Minister of Magic, Ulick Gamp, who made efforts to keep the pub protected as well as the shops behind it.

In the nineteenth century, the Leaky Cauldron initially started to lose its appeal with the creation of Charing Cross Road, but the wizarding community rioted to keep it protected.

The next writing, "Florean Fortescue", is the most interesting of the two. Rowling tells us Florean is a ghost and the owner of an ice cream shop on Diagon Alley.

She also reveals that Florean was the subject of a ghost plot she never put in the final books. *bites nails*.

We learn that Harry was supposed to meet Florean in the Prisoner of Azkaban, where they develop a relationship over time.

Towards the end of the books, Florean helps Harry find clues to track down Voldemort's horcruxes. Florean, however, gets kidnapped, but ends up being rescued by Harry and his friends in the end.

We ask ourselves: how would this ghost know so much about Hogwarts and horcruxes? Rowling tells us he is a descendant of an ex-headmaster of Hogwarts, Dexter Fortescue.

Alas, in the end, Rowling decided to take him out of the books.

"The problem was that when I came to write the key parts of Deathly Hallows I decided that Phineas Nigellus Black was a much more satisfactory means of conveying clues," Rowling said. "Florean's information on the diadem also felt redundant, as I could give the reader everything he or she needed by interviewing the Grey Lady.

All in all, I seemed to have had him kidnapped and killed for no reason.

He is not the first wizard whom Voldemort murdered because he knew too much [or too little], but he is the only one I feel guilty about, because it was all my fault."

All the feels. You thought my mind exploded yesterday. A pulled narrative? J.K. Rowling, you tease!

Come back tomorrow for a report on the third #PottermoreChristmas!