We had a great party this year. Matt thinks I did this party more for me then for the girls, he is probably right! I had way too much fun putting this party together, making things and coming up with ideas. I typically do a big party for the girls every other year...and the year we move we do a big party which is also kind of like a good bye party and they invite all their besties. All the girls birthday's are in the spring, so it can get exhausting having party after party...especially for Hannah and Cora...since their birthday's are two weeks apart. This year, the girls all wanted the same kind of party, mostly inspired by our trip to Great Britain....they all wanted Harry Potter! Which really morphed into a Hogwarts party. Since they all wanted the same kind of party, I told them they could each invite 3 friends and we would have one big party in April...between all their birthdays. Thus the journey began...
We made invitations to look like acceptance letter's to a special spring term Saturday course at Hogwarts...then we attached them to "Owls" and sent them on their way.
Here are our Owls, all ready to be sent out on deliveries.
When the "students" arrived they had to run through the brick wall to get to platform 9 3/4's. We actually created a "magical portal" that brought them directly to Diagon Alley...which had shrunk a bit in size.
Here at Diagon Alley, the students picked up their supplies. Each received a robe if they didn't have one, a wand if they needed one, and their spells, charms and potions text book.
Then we were off to the Sorting Hat for the Sorting ceremony.
I had printed all the house crests and put them on stickers, and placed them in a paper bag. The kids could either whisper to me what they wanted to be...or leave it to chance and draw out a house sticker from the bag.
Most chose to tell me, and they picked Gryffindor of course!
Anya was one of the few that left it to chance...and she still drew out Gryffindor!
After that, we went to the great hall for a class in potions.
We used Troll snot (colored glue), horn powder (borax), and Fluffy's drool (water) to make a binding potion.
Next, we used some ground asphodel (baking soda) and armadillo bile (vinegar)
for another reactive potion.
They did a great job!
After that we went over for a charm's class. We used the Locomotor spell to get balloons to fly from one end of the room to the other. my photographer didn't get any good pictures of this class, he was busy controlling the "house elf's" I assume. It was a fun class though, and the kids each got a chance to use their wands and spell books.
Hagrid was supposed to show up to teach a Care of Magical Creatures Class, but he misplaced some Dragon eggs, so he left strict instructions for the next class. Here we did a flobberworm race.
Looking for our flobberworm's
who have been hibernating in warm soil!
we put them on the race track. The first worm out of the circle wins the race. Hagrid gave the advice that a little spray of water can revive the flobberworms and get them going.
After this class, Hagrid left a note with clues he thought might lead the girls to the missing dragon eggs. They then went off on a treasure hunt looking for the eggs that had a special surprise inside.
After the eggs were found, Hagrid rang the door bell, and left a special surprise on the door step for the birthday girls.
He had made them a birthday cake!
Happee Birthdae Girrlz
Then it was back to the great hall for some lunch, treats and then there was some free time to just hang out. I think the kids liked this the best!
Right before it was time to catch the express home, there was one final surprise. Honeydukes had set up shop in the Great Hall. They were running a special...for 5 galleons (which the girls had been earning through out the party) you could purchase a bag and fill it up with whatever you liked.
There were licorice wands, lemon drops, Fizzing whizzbees, acid pops, ice mice
Chocolate frogs...with a wizard card
and
Bertie botts every flavor beans.
Filling up the goodie bags.
and the girls did get some gross flavor beans...I think one tried an earth worm flavor...gag!
It was a super fun party, and it turned out really well. We had lots of help, from neighbors who loaned supplies to Aunt Trudy and Uncle Oz, who helped make everything run smoothly, to Matt the photographer and house elf wrangler...It couldn't have gone so well without all this help!
Most of all a Thank you to the participants...if you hadn't come, there wouldn't have been a party!
