Last Friday, October 20, 2023, the Honors College hosted its annual Potter Night event! The event gave students a magical peek into the wizarding world as Lecture Hall North was transformed with fabulous decorations, transporting students into a scene from Diagon Alley for a fully immersive screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Before students even entered the lecture hall, they were greeted by the words of Tom Riddle displayed on the wall outside. Blood-red, dripping lettering warned: “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir… beware.” Across the hall, cobwebs adorned the women’s bathroom, much like the bathroom that served as the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets in the Harry Potter book and movie of the same name. Many students recognized these familiar displays, as these decorations were added to the event during last year’s screening of the Chamber of Secrets, and they’ve been incorporated into the event this year as a reminder of our festivities gone by. 

At the entrance of Lecture Hall North, students had the chance to take photos in Azkaban Prison itself; adorned with cobwebs and skeletons to set the scene, there was a photobooth set up for students to snap and post pictures from their wizarding experience. The photobooth even had its very own dementor looming over anyone who looked at it the wrong way. 

Shania Foy, Project Manager for the Honors Advisory Board events committee, offered some insight into the planning process behind the photo booth. “We were thinking of scenes from the movie. At one point we were thinking of doing the [Hogsmeade] village but we decided on the prison,” Foy explained. “I looked at photos [from previous years] … and went from there. I wanted it to be spooky and resemble the prison as much as possible.” 

The events team definitely succeeded in bringing a piece of Azkaban to Potter Night. As Annie Driscoll, leader of the Honors Advisory Board events committee, said, “it was great! HAB members from all the departments helped out. It was a nice addition to Potter Night and Shania put a lot of work into it, so kudos to her.” 

The Azkaban theme continued inside the lecture hall as photos of escaped prisoners of Azkaban (who bore a strange resemblance to much of the Honors Staff…) welcomed students to the room. Potions, wands, and spellbooks lined the walls, allowing everyone at the event to truly immerse themselves in the atmosphere. The front of the room was themed around Diagon Alley, including classic shops such as Ollivander’s Wands and Flourish and Blotts Booksellers. The lineup of shops even featured Eeylop’s Owl Emporium, complete with a set of Hedwig-themed balloons. 

The back of the lecture hall was themed around Potions classes. Torches hung against a faux stone backdrop behind the last row of desks. The desks themselves were covered in cobwebs, candles, and vials of ingredients, all ready for students to concoct in class. 

Iconic, circular Harry Potter glasses and plastic wands of varying colors were available for anyone who wanted to dress for the occasion, adorning themselves as real witches and wizards. Even the snacks were on theme: students could help themselves to witch’s hand cookies, chocolate frogs, and chocolate pretzel wands from Honeyduke’s Sweet Shop to further set the tone. 

Before the movie began, members of the Honors Advisory Board challenged students to test their knowledge of Harry Potter in an on-theme trivia game of Family Feud. Contestants raced to answer questions about everything from Hogwarts classes to potions to Patronuses. At the end of the game, the winning team won a choice of a commemorative and collectible magnet or sticker, and the losing team was sentenced to Azkaban, having their pictures from the photo booth posted to the Honors Instagram. 

After Family Feud concluded, the lights went out, and the movie began. When the first dementor of Azkaban appeared, a real-life dementor sped across the lecture hall in perfect time with the on-screen counterpart. Fortunately, the dementor in our world didn’t have as chilling of an effect as Harry Potter’s version, but students chattered excitedly as they spotted it. Everyone soon quieted down as the movie continued and Harry Potter had his most eventful year yet. 

At the end of the movie, everyone left with a smile on their faces. Heebah Khan, a senior in the Honors college, felt that “Harry Potter movie night this year was a little bittersweet. As a senior I understand how integral this event is to the overall Honors experience. While it sort of signals the beginning of the end of my time with Honors, I was just happy to contribute to the event and keep the tradition going!” 

Yet again, The Honors Advisory Board put on an event to remember, with food, décor, and activities that allowed everyone to lose themselves in the world of Harry Potter. I’d like to thank HAB’s project managers and the Honors Staff for putting this event together. I can’t wait to see what activities HAB has in store for next year!