4 Privet Drive

Confession: When I was growing up I did not enjoy reading.  I was not a good reader, and so I didn't enjoy reading and of course because I did not enjoy reading, I didn't read, so my reading didn't improve.  I enjoyed an occasional Nancy Drew, but there were very few books that I read and truly loved reading.  I remember quite vividly though hearing about a story that would one day change all of that.

Growing up, my dad traveled a lot for work and thankfully, my mom and I had the opportunity to travel with him.  One summer, we were in Aspen, Colorado at a Dry Cleaner's convention.  I know, you are all envious that you did not get to attend a dry cleaner's convention.  They were truly loads of fun and I always enjoyed the people that we spent time with at these events, and since the family business is making coat hangers, well, it was the perfect place for us to be.

One of the days that my dad was in a meeting, my mom and I were out shopping with the other ladies in the group.  It was sunny that day as we walked down the cobble stone lane, peaking into shops.  I'm not sure how the conversation started, but Mrs. Zylber, a middle school librarian from Pennsylvania, told me about this story that she said, "I just had to read."  She told me about a boy who lived in a cupboard under the stairs and how when he turned eleven, he got a letter telling him that he was a wizard.  Her expressions and excitement in telling me about this boy and his adventures at a wizarding school made an impression on me despite the fact that I wasn't keen on reading.  I don't remember when it was that I read my first Harry Potter book, but it was soon after this and well, I was hooked.

I can't say for sure that it was Harry Potter that turned me on to reading, but he certainly helped.  Harry Potter was one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read.  "Big books" used to strike fear in me, but when the 700+ page books came out towards the end of the series, well, I was thankful they weren't any shorter because I couldn't get enough.  I was at the book store bright and early the morning the final book came out and finished the huge novel in a manner of days, weeping my way through the last 150 pages, not knowing what was going to happen, but knowing that no matter what, it was to be end of the characters that had captured me so.  My friends and I went to see the final film at the midnight showing and we even got special shirts for the occasion - "Keep Calm and Kill the Dark Lord" and "I Solemnly Swear I am Up to No Good."

Last year, I decided to read the first book to my class.  Some of the kids were a bit disappointed that I had chosen that book as our read aloud since they had already seen the films, but it didn't take long before they changed their tune.  I attempted to do the voices, and the kids, like myself, were enthralled with the lovable characters, funny events, the rich details and the constant battle of good verses evil.  When we finished the story, my class took right to the books.  They went flying off the library shelves and several of my 9-and-10 year old students finished all seven of those lengthy novels by the end of the school year.  I even got an email in the fall from a student who had moaned when I announced I'd be reading Harry Potter; he was thanking me for introducing him to the books as he was completing the last novel.

Now that you know a little bit more about my love affair with Harry Potter, you will understand more the pure bliss that I had of touring the magical wizarding world on Saturday.

**** If you have plans to visit the Harry Potter Studios outside of London, you may want to stop reading now and save some of the magical discoveries for yourself.****

Since I had dressed up as Hermione, one of the stars of Harry Potter, for World Book Day, I decided it would be perfectly acceptable for me to wear the same costume as we visited the studios to learn more about how the film was made.  Thankfully, Gemma and Charlotte did not shun me for choosing to dress as a Hogwarts pupil.

The Warner Brothers Studio in Watford is where a large part of the filming took place, especially after films one and two were such a success.  They have turned it into a museum now where you can tour and see the sets and learn more about what went on backstage.  The museum itself is very well done with lots of wonderful, cheerful staff members to guide you along the way.

After watching a short clip about the filming of Harry Potter, we entered into the Great Hall.  The Great Hall was crucial in the films as it was a meeting place for all pupils and also where their meals were shared.  It was beautiful and seemed just as grand in person as it appeared in film, although the ceiling was missing because the ceiling changes so often throughout the stories, so they left it open for the computer animations to enhance it.

Charlotte and Gemma in the Great Hall

As we continued on, we saw artifacts from the films such as Luna's funky purple dress, Ron's terribly tacky Yule Ball robe, chocolate frogs, the gates to Hogwarts, the Leaky Cauldron, the wands belonging to each of the wizards, the tri-wizard cup, the pensive, the magical cloak of invisibility and many more.  We saw the boys' dormitory and learned that the beds had been made for the original film, so to fit the 11 and 12 year old boys that were sleeping in them.  However, the boys continued to grow into young men, and so in the final films, they had to fold themselves up when filming in their dorm room.  The Gryffindor common room where Harry, Ron and Hermione shared so many laughs seemed warm and welcoming.  Jars of baked bones, plastic sea creatures and bizarre plants lined the Potions classroom.

Gryffindor Common Room

One of my favorite spots though was Dumbledore's office.  Dumbledore, the beloved headmaster, the gifted teacher, mentor and inspirational leader, was a focal point for all of the books and certainly one of my favorite characters.  His office was just as meticulous as he was.  I know it is silly, but I looked to the figure of him in the room with admiration and almost an aching - missing his presence.  I also enjoyed hearing stories about how frustrated the make-up artists would get with the actor after they had spent so much time putting on his beard and he would come back with food all in it.

Dumbledore's Office

It was also while in his office that I stopped to listen to some information on my audio guide about education.  Since the filming of the Harry Potter films involved so many children, coordinating their educational needs was a major concern.  Since the kids were of a certain age, they were only allowed to work for so many hours in a day and they also had to be in school for so many hours in a day.  There were teachers brought to the studios that taught a variety of ages a variety of subjects.  My favorite bit was from Chris Columbus who directed the third film.  He said when he came on board, he asked the kids to write a personal essay as told from the perspective of their character.  It was in this way that he could get an idea of who the kids really thought they were playing and how well they knew their parts.  He said that Daniel Radcliff (Harry) wrote a beautifully written ten-page essay, Emma Watson (Hermione) wrote a long, detailed essay just as her character would have written, nearing 50 pages and when Rupert Grint (Ron) didn't turn his in, the director questioned him.  Rupert's response, "You know Ron wouldn't have turned this in."  It seemed the kids knew exactly which role they were taking on.

I also enjoyed learning about all of the animals that went into the film - everything from a toad to a hippo.  There were about ten different dogs trained to play Fang, along with a handful of animals to play the other crucial roles of Hedwig, Mrs. Norris and Crookshanks.  The narrator of the audio guide, the actor who played Draco, shared that one of the favorite filming days was when they brought in the fifty or so kittens to be filmed for use in Umbridge's office.

We fell for the cheesy money-makers and enjoyed rides on a broom and in a flying car thanks to the magic of green screens.  We drank butterbeer (a delicious toffee concoction), boarded the Knight bus, challenged some chess pieces to a game, knocked on the door of 4 Privet Drive, crossed over the Hogwart's bridge, stood in the Ministry of Magic hallways, got a closer look at the goblins' masks, watched as Voldemort came back to life, stood under the giant spider and avoided getting to close to the dementors.

On the Quidditch Field

Diagon Alley was one of my favorite visits.  Ever since the first book, the magical road intrigued me.  The tiny shops selling wands and potions, the bank guarded by greedy goblins and the book store where the covers constantly moved did not disappoint.  Although it looked a little dreary since the evil death eaters had destroyed it in the final novel, and all the shops were closed, the awe of walking down this magical street did not disappoint.  Fred and George's store full of sweets and tricks was a highlight on the alley!

Fred and George's shop on Diagon Alley

Then came the room that almost brought me to tears in sheer amazement.  Hogwarts.  A huge model of the castle that was used for almost all of the filming was truly breathtaking to see.  Every incredible little detail that was put into it made it seem even more real.  The tiny torches on the sides of the castle, the greenhouses, the rickety bridge, the tall towers, long hallways, open courtyards and even the boathouse were all there.  I wanted to shrink and run up to explore parts of the castle!

Charlotte, myself and Gemma at Hogwarts

The very last room of the tour was also awe inspiring.  The last room was filled with wand boxes from floor to ceiling.  Each wand box had the name of someone who had helped to make these films possible.  It was truly incredible to see just how much man power went into these films.  Everyone had their own box from the stars of the show to JK Rowling herself, from the caterer who fed the crew to the director, from the graphics design to the construction teams that built the sets.  Walking away from the studio tour, I think the thing I will remember the most is just how creative people are and just how much work went into each of these films.  People spent hours decorating each of the wand boxes that went into Ollivander's wand shop for just moments in the film.  Newspapers and letters were created just to have as props for a few moments in the film.  Silver cushions with tassels were sewn onto hundreds of stools for the Yule Ball which was in perhaps ten minutes of a film.  JK Rowling wrote stories with a huge imagination and some incredibly talented people found ways to make all of those things come true.

In some ways, visiting the studios took away the magic of Harry Potter because I saw how the films were created.  Many of the amazing scenes were actually filmed in front of green screens and the computer graphics team did all the rest.  The brooms didn't actually fly, but thanks to some very clever people, they created brooms that looked real and allowed the actors to sit on them in front of green screens.

But in many more ways, the tour added to the magic.  Just as I cried finishing the final novel, knowing that it was the end of of those much beloved characters, I too felt teary as I left the room full of all the wands that helped to create the films.  I was so utterly happy that to leave seemed almost a disappointment.  It was like in leaving, I had to leave the magical world and return to the muggle world I live in where things are not nearly as exciting.

I will forever be grateful to Mrs. Zylber for introducing me to the boy from number 4 Privet Drive.  She helped to bring magic into my world.