Congratulations to all members of Slytherin House – because you won the very first Pottermore House Cup, all Slytherins will get to look at the new “Chamber of Secrets” chapters 24 hours ahead of all the other Houses. The Pottermore Insider reports: Pottermore has witnessed some frenzied brewing and duelling over the last few days …read more!

The shrewd Slytherin House has won the very first Pottermore House Cup!Hufflepuff came in fourth place with 62,596,368 points, Ravenclaw came in third with 71,815,917 points, Gryffindor came in second with 74,069,919 points, and Slytherin won with 74,290,864 points.The Pottermore Insider reports: We will be congratulating the winner in further detail, here on the Pottermore …read more!

Eric Sykes, who portrayed Frank Bryce in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” passed away peacefully yesterday morning. BBC News reports: “Eric Sykes, 89, star of TV, stage and films, died peacefully this morning after a short illness,” said Norma Farnes. “His family were with him.” Sykes found fame in a series of TV …read more!

It’s time for our fifth annual two part riddles contest. The rules have been slightly updated since last year so be sure to read carefully.Part One will occur during the month of July. You are invited to submit a canon correct riddle that relates to a person, place or thing found in the Harry Potter …read more!

Pottermore has announced the estimated release of Harry Potter eBooks in Japanese. The site stated: The Harry Potter eBooks will be available in Japanese this summer – at the same time the Pottermore Shop will be launching in Japanese. Further announcements regarding the Shop opening date will be made in due course.ハリー・ポッター電子書籍の日本語版は、今年の夏に 日本語版のポッターモアショップがオープンするのと同時に お買い求めいただけます。ショップのオープン時期に関するより詳しいことは、追って ご案内いたします。 …read more!

Pottermore Insider has arranged a new poll for fans to vote for which Quidditch position they would play. The excerpt reads: In Chapter Ten of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry learns about the Bludgers, the Quaffle, the Golden Snitch, and the various positions on a Quidditch team. We’ve seen lots of comments on …read more!

Update: New image from Amazon that shows the physical book below.Little, Brown Book Group has released the cover art for J.K. Rowling’s adult novel, The Casual Vacancy. You can view the cover art below or here. The company also provided more detail of the “audio reader and confirmed page extent”: ISBN 9781408704202 (hardback) price £20.00 …read more!

Potted Potter, the off-Broadway Harry Potter parody show, has extended its run at the Little Shubert Theatre until September 2, 2012, according to Broadway.com. The show opened on June 3 and was originally scheduled to finish on August 12. Tickets can be purchased at this link. In Potted Potter, Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner perform …read more!

UPDATE: Tuesday 03 July Chamber of Secrets update:This week, we’re finalising artwork for Chapter Eight, The Deathday Party. Pottermore Insider sent out a news alert with an update on the progress of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The post reads: Over the past few weeks on the Site Updates section of the Pottermore …read more!

The first pictures of Alan Rickman in the film CBGB have surfaced. The movie is currently in production in Savannah, Georgia. The pictures were taken on the set of the movie, and show Alan Rickman sporting a red, curly wig.In the film, Rickman portrays CBGB founder, Hilly Kristal.You can see the pictures here or below.