Potions classroom at the Making of Harry Potter Studio. By Tania Volosianko | www.shutterstock.com
Potions classroom at the Making of Harry Potter Studio. By Tania Volosianko | www.shutterstock.com

Harry Potter has made waves for as long as I remember. I mean what’s not to love about this magical land. The books, the movies, the cast and crew, the author, all of them have been publicly adored. In the recent past though, J.K Rowling has been embroiled in controversy after taking to Twitter to share opinions that can only be classified as transphobic. Although that’s obviously saddening for fans of the franchise, it doesn’t take away from the magic of this world. If only there was some way for us to take classes at Hogwarts and be friends with Harry and the gang. Did you wait eagerly for your acceptance letter and the arrival of an owl? Did you cry because that’s all you wanted to do and couldn’t? I know I did. But, wait I have some good news. Nay, great news.

Since we’ve been living vicariously by the grace of virtual connectivity,  we’re all exploring new avenues of entertainment. I have never been more excited and this is what I’m going to be doing over the weekend. *Drumroll please*—a group of Potterheads have put together a website that will allow you to enroll at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. SAY WHAT! These magical courses are all absolutely free. I am delighted.

Let’s sign up to study at Hogwarts now, shall we?

The Hogwarts Is Here website opens with you having to sign up, fill in your details and verify your email. The next step is to choose a character name—it could be your name or a fictional one as well. Choose your house, I picked Griffyndor—obvs. Fill in your birth date, country and timezone and you’re finished signing up. The next step is to choose if you want to continue on as a student or you could go on to pick a career of your choice. So, essentially you could be an Auror, Hogwarts house ghost, Ministry of Magic employee, the list is endless. I picked the Magical Creature Expert because the backstory they provided seemed so interesting and totally up my alley. Get it!

Enrolling at the at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry | www.hogwartsishere.com
Enrolling at the at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry | www.hogwartsishere.com

The course curriculum:

The course curriculum is vast and expansive and you can sign up to learn any of them. Some of the prominent courses they offer are Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Herbology and more. I am ecstatic as I read the lil bytes of information about each of these classes. It also tells you how many other students have enrolled in these classes. The courses range from the first years to the seventh years. The open course directory allows you to move at a pace that suits you. Once you complete the assignments you also get graded by a team of Hogwarts professors, you learn spells and even earn house points.

Choose who you want to be at Hogwarts | www.hogwartsishere.com
Choose who you want to be at Hogwarts | www.hogwartsishere.com

The next page allows you to choose a dormitory of your choice—essentially these are private groups under each house that you can be part of. You can chat with your other teammates, have your own news feed and create an identity. Alternatively, you can create your own Dorm or join one of your own choosing.

Dormitory at Hogwarts | www.hogwartsishere.com
Dormitory at Hogwarts | www.hogwartsishere.com

After this step, you’re on your own. There seems to be no shortage of magical material to go through. Now, all I have to do is DIY a wand and I’ll be sure to be waving it around all weekend.

Magic wand. By RUKSUTAKARN studio | www.shutterstock.com
Magic wand. By RUKSUTAKARN studio | www.shutterstock.com

So let me know in the comments below if this excites you and has altered your weekend plans?

And don’t forget to follow @missmalinilifestyle for more interesting updates.