I started to cry over a stuffed rat scabbers as I noticed his missing toe on his little despicable paw. The character that is perhaps the most pathetic and disgusting citizen in the Wizarding World brought me to tears because of the incredible detail that brings The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, Orlando to life. Only sickles were accepted on gumball machines and Weasley Wizard Weezes appeared to have been stolen from my own personal imagination.
As I browsed the various merchandise and toured through the Gryffindor Common room, I didn't feel the camaraderie that I expected by seeing the place where all my favorite characters dwelled. Instead I was pining for the place where I tried on my own sorting hat and I missed my common room doused in blue. I searched once more for the pride that was felt by the Hogwarts Students as Gryffindor won the House Cup, but came up empty as I only found screaming children and aggressive, clueless tourists.
Children on child leashes grasping for a box of jelly beans that had no meaning to them besides a sugary snack. My own sisters were clueless about the innocence of Sirius Black. I realized then that what used to be precious in my imagination was exploited by $50 wands and t-shirts bearing “quidditch team captain” with the crest of the house of Gryffindor. It became clear to me that the enchantment I found most captivating in the series was the pure friendship and valor demonstrated by my Wizarding icons.
After visiting this world, what became precious to me was the very real process that my fellow female first years went through in snowy January. During Formal Sorority Recruitment, I personally tried on a very real "sorting hat" over the course of three days and I, like Harry Potter, had input in my sorting. Universal studios gave me a glimpse into the Wizarding World, but it was simply only an amusement park. I’ll always hold J.K Rowling’s creation very dear to my imagination and my heart. However, the real “magic” is the home I found in sisterhood. An institution that has values that are real and cannot be bought by simply wearing a crest.
