I’ve recently discovered that Hogwarts is Here is a thing. And I am excited.

Harry Potter is what got me into reading. The first book that I remember reading (that wasn’t just one of those thin boring books in the prep classroom) was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when I was 6-7. Then I read the first and second and then I escaped into books for the majority of my childhood, starting to actually write things around twelve.

I’ve always wanted to live that fantasy of attending Hogwarts. When I was 8-9 I made ‘textbooks’ and wands out of cardboard and would make my younger brother and sister play with me. Without too much substance to the lessons, it was really more me teaching them math because we weren’t attending school for large periods of time. Around then I was still hoping that a letter might come in the mail when I turned 11. I think I was still hoping that by the time I turned 13, to be honest.

Where. Is. My. Letter.

I don’t write much like I’m inspired by Harry Potter anymore but it’s still an important thing to me. I’ve been to Harry Potter World in Japan and I got my wand from Ollivanders and went to Honeydukes and it was a surreal experience (I couldn’t afford a uniform set or much else at the time because it was in the tail-end of the trip).

Hogwarts is Here isn’t something official or too serious but I think it’s going to be a great time. I’ve come to realise that there’s a lot that I missed out on when I was growing up and I should take advantage of those kinds of opportunities to have fun before I really have to be an adult. And pretending to go to a fictional school online is going to be one of those things soon.

Hogwarts is Here is more or less a fan-made simulation of Hogwarts. I am now a first-year Ravenclaw managing a dormitory named Ravenscarf and Wybly (because ravens and weebs) and I will be starting my first-year courses once my equipment gets here. And by equipment, I mean that I now have the finances to do it in a fancy, fun way, and I can keep whatever comes out of it as a memory of the experience. It might sound strange to people but I’m excited about it, and that’s what matters really… And I know there are definitely people out there who are wearing their uniform, have their textbooks and are taking the classes seriously.

My ‘character’ is Myka Beedle, who is the main character for The Demon’s Secretary and is one of my favourite MC’s, just behind Lily Axis-Merrik and Foruna, who I might talk about in the future. Lily and Foruna are my two oldest MC’s. I created Foruna in 2010 and Lily in 2013, but that’s a post for another day. My dorm, Ravenscarf and Wybly, is also a homage to the company Myka works at and the surname of her benefactor in the novel.

So, when my stationary arrives in the mail (really any excuse to buy new stationery), I will get started on my Hogwarts virtual life… and try to remember that I do have real schoolwork that I need to be doing as well.