Part of our mission here at the Crusade is to stay on top of all the latest trends and historic pop-culture events.
Which is why just a few short weeks ago we found ourselves in an epic battle against time, dexterity and a quill.
Our conquest, nemesis and trophy? Early admission into J.K. Rowling and her boy wizard’s latest Internet project—Pottermore.com.
The challenge: answer the question, find the magic quill, enter the Web site.
Sounds simple enough, it was not.
What is Pottermore? That’s the question of the moment.
For the time being, here’s our (Zer and Stephanie) tale of our trials, tribulations and eventual triumph.
Sunday, July 31st, 2011
It was a summer Sunday of no special signifigance, or so I thought. I’d like to say that all day I had a nagging feeling. That somehow I knew I was forgetting something. I did not. Sometime after 7 PM I ran to my computer, frantically typed out Pottermore.com, and was greeted with: Sorry, Day 1 registration is now closed. A small defeat, but there were still 6 days to go.
Although I had heard tell of the new Harry Potter website and all the wonders it would reveal in October. I was at work, and blissfully unaware of any early admission, let alone a quest to catch an enchanted feather, magical pen, or whatever it was. Little did I know, that in just a few days time my determination alone would decide the fate of the Crusaders early admittance to that most coveted of web sites: Pottermore.com.
Monday, August 1st, 2011
My alarm goes off at 6 AM. I am both proud and slightly ashamed to admit that the first thought to cross my mind was: Check Pottermore.com! And yes, there was an exclamation point. I quickly typed in the URL, and was slightly disheartened to find that Day 2 registration was already closed.
Destiny, it’s such a funny word. Can anyone really say whether or not they were meant for greatness? History decides such things. Although during moments of great triumph and significance it is only natural to wonder- will people speak of this through the ages?
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
Once again, I find myself rushing to my computer in hopes of finding the magic quill, or at least a chance of looking for it. I had no such luck. Registration for that day was already closed. I began to wonder who these crazy Potterphiles claiming the quill in the early hours of the morning were. It had become personal.
It is in our moments of greatest adversity and frustration that our true character shines through. How we handle this moments not only determines our own fate, but quite often that of those around us as well. Alas, my epic role in the Internet crusade of the year had yet to reveal itself, and I remained unawares of any impending greater purpose at all.
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
At this point, I had started to accept defeat. Obviously, this was just not meant to be. However, I still had to try, and this time I was given a small bit of hope. Instead of seeing a mockingly apologetic, “Sorry, Day 4 registration is now closed,” I was surprised to find the Day 3 message still up. Sadly a few short hours later, when I was once again able to check, the Day 4 registration was closed.
In all great stories, the truly timeless tales, the ones told for centuries to come with lessons to be learned and great feats to aspire to, the hero (or heroine) often is unaware of the pivotal part they play until the bitter end. Even then, it would seem that a sense of humility, pride, and honor shields them from the true impact of their selfless actions.
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
I awoke in a determined mood, just what did this Pottermore.com think it was? After finding that Day 5 registration was still within my grasp, I began a small quest to find some sort of loophole or clue that would point me in the right direction. I found it in the form of a blog post which narrowed the window of time for that day down to four hours. Sometime between 10 AM and 2 PM (Central Time), the magic quill would be mine for the taking. Unfortunately, this crusader doesn’t have the leisure to constantly check in on the Potter-verse, so I enlisted some help. And through pure determination, a slightly panicked text-message conversation and the aid of my fellow crusader…well, I’ll let her tell you. Because sometimes greatness is achieved through accepting the assistance of others.
Since the dawn of time man and woman have striven to outdo their predecessors. Darwin may have given it a name, but the survival of the fittest is found at our basest level of humanity. At long last, my moment had arrived. And so it was that on this, the fourth day of August in the year twenty eleven, armed with nothing but a text revealing my window of opportunity, a vast knowledge of the wizarding world, a calculator, and the password to Zer’s computer, I set off with bold determination to fulfill my destiny. That quill would be mine! So it was written, so it was done. By one hour past noon, I had not only captured the quill once, but twice. Thus ensuring the early admittance and input of both Crusaders at Pottermore.com.
…and now, reassured by an email promising early admittance, we wait.
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…bi-daily smile…
