Pottermore: Day 5 Hints

Well, it appears that we broke the Magic Quill this morning:

Q. I solved the clue for Day 4 but I couldn’t find The Magical Quill. What happened?

A. Due to huge demand today, not everyone who solved the Day 4 clue was able to find The Magical Quill. To ensure no one missed out on the chance to register for early access to Pottermore, we decided to direct people who successfully solved the clue straight to the Pottermore registration page, where they were able to register as normal.

In some ways, the breakage was to be expected. Pottermore gave us about 18.5 hours advance warning on when to expect the clue, and the time window was favorable to the Americas. It was like finally, folks in the Western Hemisphere did not have to get up in the middle of the night in order to get early access to Pottermore!

Now they know what happens when you let two densely-populated continents know too far in advance when to expect the clue. ;)

Day 5 Time Window

After what happened this morning, I did suspect that we would not see a specific time window for Day 5. And sure enough, this is as much as the Pottermore Insider will say about the timing for tomorrow’s clue:

Q. So far, all the clues have appeared in the early hours of the morning in my time zone. Will this continue for the remainder of The Magical Quill challenge?

A. We know that Harry Potter fans around the world are taking part in the challenge, so we will be varying the times that the clues are revealed.

So, it looks like we’re on our own again… which means that some of us (not me!) will probably be staying up all night next to the computer, hitting the refresh button every few minutes. However, I personally suspect that the next clue will come at a time when folks in North and South America don’t have to stay up all night.

The notice from Pottermore Insider indicates that they will be varying the times to accommodate different parts of the world. All the clues for Days 1-3 came at times when folks on my side of the world would normally be asleep. So I think they’ll provide more clues at times when the Western Hemisphere is awake… though I have no idea exactly when. :)

And don’t forget… I could be completely wrong! (though I was definitely right about that TriWizard Tournament clue! LOL)

Day 5 Clues

So, that brings us to the most important things for Day 5: What are some possible numbers to consider?

The next book is Order of the Phoenix (OotP)… and it is huge. OotP is the biggest book of the series, coming in at 870 pages of more densely packed (and smaller) print. This is why, I think, the clues are supposed to be getting easier.

So let’s think about some easy numbers from OotP:

• In what year do students take their O.W.L. exams?
• What’s the street number of Order of the Phoenix Headquarters?
• How many dementors attack Harry and his cousin Dudley in the alleyway in Little Whinging?
• What is the number of the Educational Decree banning all student organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs?
• How many students fly on thestrals to the Department of Mysteries to try to save Sirius?
• Probably too hard: How many members of the Order of the Phoenix arrive at Privet Drive to escort Harry to Order Headquarters?

Okay, aside from that last one, most of those are probably easy enough to be usable.

The street number for Order of the Phoenix Headquarters is in the title of one of the book’s chapters. So is the Educational Decree. The names of the students (and hence, the number) can be easily found in both the “Fight or Flight” and “Department of Mysteries” chapters, towards the end of the book.

So, does anyone else have suggestions for numbers to focus on? If so, please share them in the Comments thread. Oh, and here’s a good chapter-by-chapter breakdown to refresh your memory of OotP.

Based on the already-established pattern (7 books * number of days/chances remaining), once you have the solution to the clue, the number you will multiply by is 21… except, of course, in the unlikely chance that Pottermore breaks the pattern!

I will live blog the 5th Clue if it comes at a time when I’m at my computer.

For those who are still working at getting early access into Pottermore: Good luck on the Day 5 Clue!

Note about the Comments thread: If you’re new to the blog and have never commented before, there may be a small delay in getting your comment posted.

ETA:

Here is a note that Jess (the Last Muggle) wrote in the comments that might prove useful to people trying to get in to Pottermore:

I’ve been telling folks who are interested in registering and haven’t had success yet to follow hp_batsignal on Twitter and set it up for only those tweets to come to your phone. Today, I received a tweet with when the clue went live and a follow-up tweet with the answer.

That’s one way for fans to save themselves a sleepless night at the computer. :-)

In the comments, Scott asks:

Do you think they could also ask how many members are in OoP? original or
revived? I just thought of that possibility.

That’s a good question!

I would focus more on the photo of the members of the original Order of the Phoenix – (i.e., the photo that serves as inspiration for Dumbledore’s Army). I think it’s too difficult to find a precise count for the members of the revived Order, so I don’t think they’d use that. But yes, I do think the photo is a possibility.

Thanks for the suggestion!

ETA 2:

Additional clues suggested by readers:

Haley:
Some other numbers I thought of were the row number of the prophecy and number of members in Dumbledore’s Army.

Steph:
Another possible clue could be the number of members in DA.

More great suggestions! Thanks!!!

ETA 3:
Something interesting I just noticed: the number of members of Dumbledore’s Army and the number of named original members of the Order of the Phoenix is the same, assuming that we count Severus Snape as a member of the original Order after he turned spy.

But this is why I think it’s unlikely for the clue to ask for the number of members of the original Order. Some people might not think to count Snape.

If you’re looking for the photo of the original members of the Order, it’s in the chapter “The Woes of Mrs. Weasley.” I was looking in the wrong place (focusing on the Dumbledore’s Army chapters). :)

But as someone pointed out, if the clue is supposed to be really easy, it is likely to be the street number for Order HQ (i.e., where Sirius lives). I would also add that it could be the year students take their O.W.L. exams. Those seem to be the easiest numbers out there for OotP.

Good luck!