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J.K.Rowling - Official Site

The Secret Door - Instructions to the puzzles

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The Do Not Disturb sign has been removed 10 times and visitors were faced with puzzles to get to the secret behind the door.

1 - (28-6-04) First Door opening: June 28 - July 2, 2004
2 - (16-08-04) Second Door opening: August 16th -August 26, 2004
3 - (31-10-04) Third Door opening - October 31 (Hallowe'en) - November 15, 2004
4 - (20-12-04) Fourth Door opening - December 20 - December 26, 2004
5 - (31-03-06) Fifth Door opening - March 31, 2006 - April 4, 2006
6 - (29-09-06) Sixth Door opening - September 29, 2006 - October 4, 2006
7 - (21-12-06) Seventh Door opening - December 21, 2006 - December 28, 2006
8 - (13-06-07) Eighth Door opening - June 13, 2007 - June 18, 2007
9 - (20-07-07) Ninth Door Opening - July 20, 2007 - October 31, 2007
10 - (31-10-07) Tenth Door Opening- October 31, 2007 - Current archive

Click on the door handle it opens to show a brick wall with a loose, sparking, electrical wire hanging. There are 5 bricks that are clickable, two in the upper left area, one in the space below the wire, and two in the area under the plaster. You needed to click on all five in a certain order to see behind the wall.

If you numbered the bricks 1 -5 top to bottom the order is this, 3,4,2,5,1.
If you click the bricks out of order they pop back in place and nothing happens.
When you get the right order, the brick wall drops down, as though it is an elevator, revealing a secret room.
Click on the fan! It blows the papers around, one floats up and the title of book six types itself across the page.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (no hyphen)

Curiously, if you click the hair elastic Portkey before opening the door, it buzzes like the loose wire instead of the usual "Portkey jingle".

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The room is dark and you must click around for the light switch.

Next is a game of darts where you must put three darts in the numbers 7- 1-3 (The vault at Gringotts where the Stone was kept)
Then enter a secret code (from the Gobb Lynn card on the bulletin board 30-27-23) to open the Gringotts safe.
A torn strip of paper lies in the safe. Click on it, it floats up and unfurls.  It reads:
                                                                             (He)^ looked
rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his
bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles
and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.

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Wait for Peeves to knock over the daffodils and golden keys fly out of the vase and swirl around. (The vase will fall to the right instead of the left as before.)
The keys fly around in random patterns. Click on a key to catch it and drag it to the keyhole. Release it. If it is the right key it will glow and turn in the lock.
(No, it's not the slowest key, and No you don't right click, and No it's not the 5th try, as I have seen mentioned other places.)

Here's one location of a lucky catch.

Then click the handle, the door opens.
After you've unlocked it, if you leave the screen and return, the door stays unlocked, but not if you exit the site and return.

Once inside you will see an overhead view of her desk.
Grab the drawer handle and pull it out. (Be sure to have your cursor out on the end of the handle. Too close to the drawer it won't work.)

Pick up the magnifying glass and drop it over the tablet on the desk to read the following riddle. 

Pull up on the pages sticking out at the top to see the titles of three chapters.

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1. Click on the blinking tree in the mirror. The little door closes and the big door opens, revealing another Christmas tree with 6 wrapped gifts under it. On the tree are 6 unlit candles. Pass your cursor over the presents, their tags wave.

There is a painting on the wall, a nativity scene by Carravagio.
There is a string of 5 hanging Christmas cards (just like the ones around the site). The tags on the gifts are also like the ones seen around the site. There are also a couple of crackers on the tree, they are not clickable.
 
2. Click on a present and its tag floats in bearing a riddle. Type the answer to the riddle. Wrong answers get a red X. Correct answers get a red check mark, (no need to press enter, just wait) then the riddle tag fades away and a candle on the tree lights. Presents can be clicked and answered in any order. The candles always light from the bottom most toward the top, regardless of which riddle is answered. Once a present's riddle has been answered, its tag no longer waves. The riddles are assigned randomly to the gifts, each time you enter the site. Each color of gift is not always the same riddle.

Riddle answers:

Two in a whole and four in a pair And six in a trio, you see? And eight's a quartet, but what you must get Is the name that fits just one of me. HALF Say you'd never seek to lose me While you live we cannot part I must dwell lifelong inside you Locked within your beating heart BLOOD I cannot be other than what I am Until the man who made me dies. Power and glory will fall to me, finally, Only when he last closes his eyes. PRINCE What is Ronald Weasley's least favorite sandwich filling? CORNED BEEF Over which British city did the one-year-old Harry Potter fall asleep as Hagrid took him to number four, Privet Drive? BRISTOL What form does Hermione Granger's Patronus take? OTTER


 
3. When the 6th riddle is answered correctly, the star on top of the tree blinks and lights up.

 
4. Click on the hanging Christmas card with the star. It Disapparates and opens to read:
Merry Christmas
and a 
Happy New Year

20th December 2004
I know you all expected this to happen on Christmas Day, but I was sure that those of you who
celebrate Christmas have better things to do on the day itself than fight your way into my study,
whereas those of you who DON'T celebrate Christmas would definitely prefer no to wait until the
twenty fifth - so...

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' is COMPLETED and has been delivered to my English language publishers, who hope to announce the publication date within 24 hours.

Although I have joked about HP&THBP racing my third baby into the world, I have in fact had all
the time I needed to tinker with the manuscript to my satisfaction and I am as happy as I have ever
been with the end result. I only hope you feel that it was worth the wait when you finally read it!

Wishing everybody a wonderful holiday and a happy and peaceful 2005,
With love from,
{her signature writes onto the page}

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Drag the rock from behind the plant, and drop it on the mirror.
Drag the key (from behind the mirror) and place it in the lock. (Move your curser over the mouse trap, it springs! but it is useless.)
Click the notice on the shelf where the key was.
Read the riddle on the notice, and type (on your keyboard) the word REPARO. The mirror will be restored. Close the notice. (Note the notice can be closed before tying REPARO.)  The notice read:

Repent the urge that made you smash my face
Else seven years' bad luck will be your fate!
Put me to rights, my shattered pane replace,
And fear no more that tears and pain await.
Reflect upon reflections, gentle friend.
Or meet, in my destruction, your dead end. 
(Note the first letter of each line spells out REPARO.)

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On April 5th, a W.O.M.B.A.T Student Identification Card Portkey appeared on the desk top for submitting your code, and Paper Being Marked.
On April 6th, Results in the Post.
On April 7th, Results Delivered and Certificate framed.

Read the W.O.M.B.A.T. test questions and commentary by Steve and Belinda here.
 
 

Here is the text of the instructions that appear throughout the Test:
On the cover:

The Grade 1 W.O.M.B.A.T. tests whether the sitter would be able to exist safely and effectively within the magical world.  Would you fall foul of Magical Law?  Would you know what to befriend/ avoid in the magical Natural World?  Could you use Everyday 
Magic to look after yourself and your family?  And would you know how to Transport yourself within the world of wizards?

This is not a straightforward Harry Potter trivia test.  While a thorough knowledge of the books is essential to achieving a good grade at W.O.M.B.A.T., you will need inspiration as well as information, applying what you know, whether by deducing the correct answer or by making intelligent guesses.

If you would like to sit the W.O.M.B.A.T, you will need 25 minutes.

It will take a few days for the Ministry to mark your test, after which a delivery owl will reveal your result in the form of a printable certificate.

Good luck.
-----
Would you like to sit the W.O.M.B.A.T. now?
O YES
O NO

clicking NO gives an option to CLOSE
clicking YES gives the option TURN OVER (to turn the page)
----
After sitting the test you will be given a Student Identification Code.  This will allow you to retrieve your test results.
Do you already have a Student
Identification Code?
O YES
O NO

clicking YES gives the option:
Enter Student Identification Code: (case sensitive)
SUBMIT
>clicking SUBMIT without entering a code returns a prompt in red to:
Please enter you Student Identification Code.

>entering a valid code gives:
Your Student Identification Code has been confirmed. 
(red)You have already completed this test paper.

>entering an invalid code gives:
Your Student Identification Code was not recognised.
Please try again. 
TRY AGAIN ( returns you to the Submit form)

clicking NO returns:
Thank you.  You are now ready to sit the test. 
Your time will start the moment you click TURN OVER at the foot of this sheet.
---
An hourglass timer counts down the time remaining on the test in 5 minute intervals. 
Chosing an answer on the final question and turning the page gives:

TEST COMPLETED
You have reached the end of the test paper.  You still have time to go back and check your answers.  When you are happy with your answers please click the SUBMIT button below.
SUBMIT

When the timer runs out it says:
TIME UP
Your time is up.  Please use the SUBMIT button to submit your answers.
SUBMIT
Your answers have been submitted and are now in the process of being marked.  Call back to my desk in the near future to view your test results.
Your Student Identification Code is detailed below  You will need this to retrieve your results.  Make a note of it or click the PRINT button below for a printed copy.

clicking CLOSE gives a prompt in red:
Please make sure that you put your Student Identification Code in a safe place.
You will not be able to view your results without it.

-----

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W.O.M.B.A.T. grade 2

Full details with images here

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Full details with images here

How to work the puzzle to get behind the Door:
1. Click on the open door in the mirror, a small tree will appear.
2. Click near the top of the Door, a wreath will appear.
3. Click near the top of the mirror, garland will appear.
4. Click on a spiderweb, to “clear the cobwebs”.
5. Click on the windchimes (second chime from the right), it turns into a key.
6. Drag the key to the lock, the Door opens.
7. Click on the gift, it opens.
8. Click in the box to play the game of Hangman. Type letters on your keyboard to guess the title.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

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To open the Door and activate the WOMBAT:
1) Click on the fly that lands on the window, it will turn into a key,
2) Drag it to the lock and let go, the key will turn and the door will open.
3) Drag the ring onto the rod, it will sparkle if placed correctly.
4) Drag the triangle onto the rod and ring, it will sparkle and move to the desk.
5) Click on the WOMBAT paper to open the test.

Be sure to save a copy of your code!

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