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JK Rowling is releasing a new Harry Potter story online, and it's free to read.

The never-before seen article reveals the history of the wizarding Potter family from its illustrious beginnings in the twelfth century.

The new writing sheds unexpected new light on the origins of the Potter family name, delves into Harry's ancestry, explains how his grandfather quadrupled the family's fortune and how the Invisibility Cloak became a family heirloom.

The story will be appearing on the website Pottermore.com, which has been relaunched with a major redesign and is packed with exclusive writing, features, and news.

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The new site contains features, commentary and articles about the Harry Potter series and the wider Wizarding World.

For the first time, there will be reporting and features by the Pottermore Correspondent, a journalist dedicated to reporting on all the latest updates going on in the Wizarding World.

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The correspondent will report on the forthcoming Warner Bros. feature film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, based on an original J.K. Rowling screenplay, and the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, written by Jack Thorne, which is set to open in London in 2016.

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Susan L. Jurevics, Chief Executive Officer of Pottermore, said: "J.K. Rowling is continuing to expand her magical universe, and as the Wizarding World expands, so does Pottermore.

"The fascinating story of the Potter family, from the author herself, will enthrall everyone interested in this world."