Pottermore: Magical Powers without Power

After two days without power in Collinsville, the first thing I wanted to do when I had access to electricity was, naturally, to get on J.K. Rowling's Pottermore and make magic happen.

My boss could be yelling at me for not saying "post an update on closed roads and downed trees in Avon on Patch" and instead setting my priorities on virtual witchcraft, but she's in Gryffindor.

That brings me to some great news. The Pottermore sorting hat placed me in Hufflepuff! Gryffindor is the Hogwarts house we get along with the most.

At first I was disappointed that I'm not in Gryffindor, but I always thought the Hufflepuffs were a friendly bunch, so I can't complain.

To get sorted, we had to answer a series of questions honestly, from what magical ability we'd want to have the most to our most distinguishable trait. This was the next best thing in Pottmore so far behind getting our welcome email inviting us to log on to the Beta version.

Pottermore Insider, the blog for the , announced late last week that it sent out it's one millionth Beta invitation, the final one. That means one million people will be sorted into houses before anyone else in the world, but it takes several chapters to reach that point.

Farmington teenager Hanna Rosenfield got into the one house she didn't want to be in – surprisingly, Gryffindor.

What house did she want to be in? Slytherin, the house He Who Must Not Be Named was in, as well as antagonistic characters like Lucius and Draco Malfoy.

“I guess it’s different. You know so much more about Gryffindor," Rosenfield said. "Everyone looks down on Slytherin. There's no pride in Slytherin.... It's a more interesting place to be because we can learn more about it."

The house you're sorted into on Pottermore gives you access to that virtual common room and behind-the-scenes information about that house. I'll give you a brief tour.

If you like food, which is certainly a priority right now without power in most of Connecticut, then you can find Hufflepuff. Our common room entrance is in the same hallway as the Hogwarts kitchen. By tapping the correct barrel to the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff" you can enter the cozy black and yellow room, "reminiscent of badger's set," Rowling writes on Pottermore. The badger is our mascot.

The fact that it's the same barrel each time, with the same password, is one of the reasons Hufflepuffs are stereotyped as dimwitted. The complexity of the manner of entering a house, typically exemplifies the house's  "intellectual reputation," Rowling states on Pottermore. Slytherin has a hidden entrance and its password changes constantly. Gryffindor has a guardian and a frequently changing password. Ravenclaws, perceived as the most intelligent house, have to answer a philosophical challenge before they enter.

"Nevertheless, it ought not to be concluded from the above that Hufflepuffs are dimwits or duffers, though they have been cruelly caricatured that way on occasion," Rowling writes on Pottermore. "Several outstanding brains have emerged from Hufflepuff house over the centuries; these fine minds simply happened to be allied to outstanding qualities of patience, a strong work ethic and constancy, all traditional hallmarks of Hufflepuff House."

It turns out Hufflepuff is the real mystery house in the books because it's the only one that Harry never visits.

"When I first planned the series, I expected Harry to visit all four house common rooms during his time at Hogwarts," Rowling wrote on Pottermore. "There came a point when I realised that there was never going to be a valid reason to enter the Hufflepuff room. Nevertheless, it is quite as real to me as the other three, and I always knew exactly where those Hufflepuffs were going when they headed off towards the kitchens after lessons."

Beta users, you have more time to experience the magic of Pottermore before others have access because the Beta period has been extended, Pottermore Insider posted on Sunday. There is no indication at this time about how much longer the Beta period will last.

If only I had a wand to get the power back in my real home. In the meantime, Happy Halloween!