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JK Rowling has delighted fans of her Harry Potter series by launching a new digital portal featuring brand new content about the boy wizard and his world.

Pottermore was unveiled this week and will go live on July 31st 2011. It is sure to please people who were disappointed when the author said she definitely had no plans to write another Harry Potter novel.

The website will host some 18,000 words, most of which Rowling revealed she had already written and had kept in boxes while she worked on the published books.

It includes backstory about many favourite characters, with a story about how the Dursleys met likely to prove popular, as well as histories about key locations and magic.

However, it will not just be Rowling's work that is showcased on Pottermore - registered users are also invited to submit their own drawings, comments and stories.

"I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years and to bring the stories to a new generation. I hope fans and those new to Harry will have as much fun helping to shape Pottermore as I have," the children's author said.

It was also revealed this week that the Harry Potter books are to be published in ebook format for the first time, after Rowling acknowledged they are here to stay.

The Harry Potter books have sold a staggering 450 million copies since first being published by Bloomsbury Press in 1996.

However, according to the Daily Telegraph, the characters were first dreamt up by Rowling in 1990, with Harry appearing fully-formed.

She famously wrote the stories in cafes in Edinburgh where she lived so that she could stay warm, as there was then not enough money to cover large heating bills.

However, Rowling has since gone on to become a multi-millionaire as a result of her creations.

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