It’s Back to Hogwarts Day! While a few lucky ones are getting ready to board a scarlet steam engine from London King’s Cross, many others, who dared to believe in magic, and hoped to walk the annals of Hogwarts find a window to jump and embrace a fantasy that nurtured numerous dreams on this very day. Their letters will be there before September 1, next year. Most definitely!
My Kolkata spoke to Harry Potter fans from various walks of life and asked them what they would do if they could attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here’s what they had to say…
“I’ve always been fascinated by the kind of educational institute J.K. Rowling portrayed Hogwarts to be. She showed that it was not all studies, and it was more about discovering yourself and finding your place in the Wizarding World (yes, even if you were a muggle). If my invitation hadn’t gotten lost, I would’ve packed all my stuff, ready to start making friends not just from my house Hufflepuff but from other houses as well. Hagrid and Professor McGonagall would’ve probably been my favourite teachers. I imagine I could’ve easily handled the academics and adventures of Hogwarts seamlessly. Still waiting for my letter to arrive. Always.”
— Soumil Sanghvi, 24, software engineer
“If I could go to Hogwarts, I’d run straight into the Great Hall. I’d feast on all the delectable dishes served under the twinkling stars. I’m pretty sure I would have one eye on the food and one eye on the (enchanted) ceiling the entire time. The long tables surrounded by candles will forever fascinate me. Ever since I read the books, my imagination has been glued to that Hall.”
— Ayushi Mitra, 24, businesswoman
“To say that going to Hogwarts would be a dream come true is an understatement. I remember being 10 years old and eagerly waiting for an owl to arrive with my letter of admission from Hogwarts. I was convinced that these letters were being kept from me when I was enrolled into my own muggle school, and kept waiting around for years thinking that somehow the owl had been incapacitated. Hogwarts isn’t just a fantasy setting, it was a world wherein I grew up as well — with my friends as supporting characters and living the experiences of a lifetime in the death-defying adventures of the trio. The Harry Potter books taught me how to read and how to lose myself in a world that I never wanted to leave again. These characters taught me courage, love and friendship and Hogwarts comforted me when I wanted to escape into a world with butterbeer and chocolate frogs. To go to Hogwarts would be a return to my childhood.”
— Soureesh Datta, 23, postgraduate student
“If I could attend Hogwarts, I would befriend the Sorting Hat so that it allots me no other house than Ravenclaw — I really don’t want all these years of poster hoarding to go to waste. I would also love to sit in the Ravenclaw common room reading the latest articles on wizard poetry and fan-girling about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. I would want to be a prefect, show everyone around our grounds and the rotating stairs. I would want to see whether my patronus is really a Pride flag like I think it to be and be audacious to draw ‘Trans Women are Women’ with my wand on campus walls. If I could attend Hogwarts, I would definitely show my muggle mother how her daughter can cast her own spell even in a world meant for wizards.”
— Anandi Kar, 22, postgraduate student
“The first thing I’d do in Hogwarts would be to learn how to fly on a Nimbus, after all, it would be so much better to avoid traffic. Charms class would be right next — Professor Flitwick, I think, would be my favourite. I also hope I will be McGonagall’s favourite, I do want to ‘transfigure’ my life.”
— Sahen Gupta, 24, psychologist and writer
“Given the opportunity (to go to Hogwarts), my inner geek would burn brighter than Lumos, acing every subject. I’d sneak off to Hogsmeade every chance I got, using the Marauder’s Map. The invisibility cloak would be my passport, to explore all restricted areas. I’d visit Hagrid for a nice cup of tea, and finally mount my Nimbus 2000, and swoop over the Forbidden Forest.”
— Sharon Thawaney, 24, social worker
