J.K. Rowling shares fascinating new details about Harry Potter’s family

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,  the seventh and final novel of the Harry Potter series, was released in 2007. Even today though, 8 years later, the series is as popular as ever. And author J.K. Rowling continues to support that enthusiasm with new stories.

Today, in conjunction with a redesigned Pottermore website, Rowling released some new information regarding the history of the Potter family.

"The Potter family is a very old one, but it was never (until the birth of Harry James Potter) at the very forefront of wizarding history, contenting itself with a solid and comfortable existence in the backwaters," Rowling writes.

The story of Harry's family begins in the 12th century with a "locally well-beloved and eccentric man," by the name of Linfred of Stinchcombe, nicknamed by many as "the Potterer." A man of seven children, it was his eldest son, Hardwin, who married a young witch by the name of Iolanthe Peverell, granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell, who true Potter fans probably know was the holder of one of the original Dealthy Hallows.

"In the absence of male heirs, she, the eldest of her generation, had inherited her grandfather’s invisibility cloak. It was, Iolanthe explained to Hardwin, a tradition in her family that the possession of this cloak remained a secret, and her new husband respected her wishes. From this time on, the cloak was handed down to the eldest in each new generation," the story reveals.

The backstory reveals other tidbits as well, like the man responsible for the invention of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, used by Hermione at the Yule Ball.

Fans of the Harry Potter series starved for more content can head over to Pottermore and read the full backstory of the Potter family, as well as new information about their favorite characters.