Here are 10 things we learned from the author's new essay titled 'The Potter Family' on Pottermore:

1. Harry's roots can be traced back to the "twelfth-century wizard Linfred of Stinchcombe, a locally well-beloved and eccentric man, whose nickname, 'the Potterer', became corrupted in time to 'Potter'.

2. Potter is an occupational surname - unsurprisingly meaning a man who creates pottery.

3. Linfred created many potions that are still used today such as Skele-gro and Pepperup Potion.

4. Linfred's son married a witch called Iolanthe Peverell who inherited her grandfather's Invisibility Cloak which was then handed down to the eldest in each generation.

5. The Potters would sometimes marry Muggles and generally lived in the West of England.

6. But some members of the family did make it to London and two sat on the Wizengamot - Ralston Potter (from 1612 - 1652) and Henry Potter (1913-1921). "Henry caused a minor stir when he publicly condemned then Minister for Magic, Archer Evermonde, who had forbidden the magical community to help Muggles waging the First World War."

7. Henry's son Fleamont managed to quadruple the family gold when he created Sleekeazy's Hair Potion ("two drops tames even the most bothersome barnet") and became very rich.

8. Fleamont and his wife Euphemia thought they would remain childless until their son James was born.

9. They lived long enough to see James marry Muggle-born girl Lily Evans but never met their grandson Harry after dying of dragon pox just days apart.

10. James Potter then inherited the Invisibility Cloak which was passed on to the boy wizard.

Pottermore has undergone a revamp, with a new mobile-friendly version launched.

Rowling has pledged to bring users insider information from the set of the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them film and the new London play, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.