October skies and the sound of school bells: close to two thousand colored polos empty out of class to fill every nook and cranny of Cathedral Catholic. Leaving no stone unturned, some might venture through the doors of the lecture hall on this chilly afternoon, only to find themselves in a whole new world.
Once inside, the students stack up against the walls. A cauldron bubbles and babbles, teeming with butter beer. Pens and pencils are exchanged for makeshift wands, and only a coward can be found showing up without the classic red and gold scarf. Enter: A new kind of club, The Harry Potter Club.
Of course, some students must be thinking, “What kind of jelly-brain jinx is this?” But in all sincerity, the club’s aim is true: “We’re hoping to bring together a community through our love of reading, and experiencing the fantasy world, and we’re aspiring to take that love and do something with it,” said junior Karly Loberg.
The club of over 100 members is led by President sophomore Rachael Carroll, and Vice President Karly Loberg. A team of five other leaders supports the club: sophomores Kori Griswold and Chase Hauser, junior Marissa Smola, and seniors Hannah Freeman and Kaycey Bui.
Already infamous for their meetings, even the club leaders themselves did not expect to see such a following. “I think the meetings are really cool; they’re totally above and beyond our expectations. We did get 200 to 300 people to sign up, but we were like, ‘Yeah, there’s not going to be that many people,’ ” said club treasurer Kaycey Bui.
With every red-two day, a crowd fills the hall to the extent that students need to sit in front on the floor and in the stairways. Some brandish fancy Hogwarts capes, hand-carved wands and Quidditch goggles. Ms. Wilson brews butter beer, and students drum on the tables in anticipation of a YouTube parody of the latest Harry Potter movie trailer.
“They cheer at everything we say, so it makes me feel really cool, personally,” said Loberg, jokingly. “I’ll say ‘Hello,’ they cheer. ‘Welcome to the Harry Potter club,’ and they’ll cheer again.”
“We definitely face the noise factor; there are a lot of people, and everyone’s really excited, and we’re serving sugar,” said President Rachael Carroll.
Club designer and head of the Slytherin House, Chase Hauser agrees with Carroll. “At the meetings it’s total controlled chaos, but we’re still all bonded by the one love of Harry Potter.”
“I always heard of people talking about how Harry Potter brings people together, and right now we’re witnessing it,” said Bui. “The universality of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter is something everyone can relate to. People who I never even thought enjoyed that kind of stuff were coming in because they loved Harry Potter.”
Recently, on October 20th, the club hosted a genuine sorting ceremony in the theater. According to Hauser, the group in which you are placed “defines what kind of person you are, and what morals and beliefs you hold.”
A sorting hat was donned by the each member, and amidst its occasional wisecracking, every member soon found his or her place within the club. This event in its entirety was a tribute to the annual ritual that is well known in the world of Hogwarts.
Carroll said the club’s biggest event this year will be the Quidditch Tournament. “We know that there are some people from OLP, Carlsbad, and CCA who want to be in our tournament. We’re probably going to host it here, with perhaps, some musical performances,” said Carroll.
The group plans to organize a Quidditch team for each house. Despite players not having the ability to fly, the sport is fairly established. “I do believe there are actually collegiate rules for Quidditch, so we’ll learn by those,” said Bui.
In the future, Carroll said, the club has countless activities planned like making wands, watching fan-made Harry Potter YouTube videos (including a Harry Potter musical), and completing “Potter service projects.” Some “Potter Projects” might include organizing a book drive or hosting a Quidditch tournament to fundraise for charities.
On the whole, students can expect this club season to be nothing short of pure magic.