200 Days in the Life of the College
Saturday, October 23
And the quidditch team? Undefeated
By Lauren Magaziner ’12
I blame my parents for my terrible affliction:
I have been born a Muggle.
Every Harry Potter fan remembers feeling disappointed when a Hogwarts acceptance letter didn’t arrive on his or her 11th birthday. But who knew that my acceptance letter to Hamilton College would send me to Hogwarts anyway?
Hogwarts at Hamilton is as good as it gets. Imagine 60 students in sweeping black robes, waving wands and shouting out pretend spells in British accents. Now imagine it for an entire weekend. J.K. Rowling’s magical world springs to life, right in Bundy Dining Hall. It is my favorite time of year. For me, Hogwarts at Hamilton is the best holiday and the sole reason why I refused to consider studying abroad in the fall — I wouldn’t dream of missing my favorite event on the Hill.
During Hogwarts at Hamilton weekend, each participant is assigned a character from the Harry Potter books and acts out classroom scenes from Hogwarts. Tours of Hogwarts are given to the campus and the community to raise money for local libraries, helping town-gown relations. This marks the ninth year of Hogwarts at Hamilton. The weekend offers classes in Potions and Divinations, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. Months of hard work have been spent making the magic come alive as Hogwarts club members made costumes, rehearsed scenes and placed advertisements.
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I am thrilled to be a part of the Hogwarts tradition at Hamilton. It is so hard to close for the year, knowing that I have only one magical weekend left. But for now, like Harry, I’ll return to Hogwarts again soon.
