Good News, Harry Potter Fans: You Can Now Attend Hogwarts In Real Life
Quit waiting around for your Hogwarts letter that you're sure got lost in the mail – you can now make your dreams of a wizarding education come true. For those of us who know we're more than Muggles, Poland now has a real-life wizarding school, complete with houses, potions class and magic wands.
The Czocha College of Witchcraft and Wizardry held its first-ever class session in November at Czocha Castle in southwest Poland. An estimated 200 people from 11 different countries attended. Here's a glimpse inside:
What to expect if you enroll: Upon arrival, students at Hogwarts are divided into houses by a magical sorting hat.
At Czocha, the houses are a bit different than they are at Hogwarts. There are five houses instead of Hogwart's four, named Faust (Knowledge and Power), Molin (Loyalty and Cunning), Sendivogius (Courage, Honor and Diplomacy), Durentius (Diligence and Valor), and Libussa (Foreseeing, Daring and Creativity).
Each day of the four-day stay at Czocha includes five lessons and mandatory meals that are eaten together. The class schedule includes many of the Hogwarts staples, including a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, a Muggle studies course and a lesson on charms.
The four-day-long program offers five different areas, or magical majors, to choose from: Aurors, Curse-Breakers, Healers, Magizoologists and the Unspeakables. If you're not quite sure what any of those entail, this 49-page guide should clear up the details.
As convincing as the photos are, the magic obviously isn't real. But everything from the school's charm and its dedication to creating a genuine Hogwarts-esque atmosphere certainly is.
So just how can you get accepted? Don't look for an owl to drop off a letter. If you're over the age of 18 and willing to choke up $345 for your wizardry training – a true test of just how serious you are about this – then you're good to go. The next session will be held from April 16 to 19. Oh, and you'll need a robe and a wand.
For Harry Potter fans, this news probably feels as good as winning the Quidditch cup. The movies might be over, but your chance to be a wizard certainly isn't.