HARRY POTTAH!!! (part 1)
sxechiru , my parents, and I went to the Harry Potter Exhibition yesterday.
It was super exciting! Okay, so there were many rude people with loud little children and giant strollers, but we dealt with it.
When you first go in, there's a docent (he was all dressed up and doing a British accent) and he "sorts" a few little kids. They all wanted to be in Gryffindor. It took a lot not to raise my hand to be sorted, but I knew it was for little kids... :(
Then we were herded down a hallway into a room where then played a trailer type thing and that ended with what looked like train windows going by and then the train whistle blew and a big curtain went up to reveal... THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS!!! Another docent had a lantern (and a fake British accent) and she herded us all to the actual exhibit.
Everyone got clogged up watching the portrait of the Fat Lady in the portrait gallery. She was life size and they had looped the scene from PoA where she's trying to break the glass with her voice. There were a could other moving portraits, but the Fat Lady was by far the largest. Pretty neat.
Next was the Gryffindor Common Room. They had Neville's outfit and props. (Mimbulus Mimbletonia and dancing shoes, etc.) They also had Luna Lovegood's Specter Specs and a copy of the Quibbler. Ginny's uniform was there too.
Then they had the Common Room bulliten board with all the little signs on it (the detail was fantastic) and Hermione's uniform and props (wand, Time Turner, books, etc.). They also had the boy's bed and uniforms and props (wands, the Golden Egg, etc.). (Ron's uniform has little holes in it! Like it's been USED!) They had Ron's Chudley Cannons stuff and the Howler! Hee!
By the way, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliff are freaking SHORT!
That blended into the Potions classroom with Slughorn and Snape's robes and some cauldrons and things in jars. "That actually touched Alan Rickman's actual skin!"
Next was Gilderoy Lockhart's outfits and props and a Cornish Pixie! The detail on the books and start of term "What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color? Lilac." tests was phenomenal! Oh, and they had the life size portrait of Lockhart painting a portrait of himself. Yay!
After that was Umbridge's office complete with meowing kitten plates. Her wand and evil quill were there and all the little props from her desk. They had her epic pink outfit from the start of term feast.
Next was Lupin's jack-in-the box Boggart and the Boggart's cabinet and Lupin's outfit. And some props.
Then onto Herbology! Mandrakes! The had Prof. Sprout's costume and some props and MANDRAKES! They even had a table where you could "pull up a Mandrake" yourself. And the screamed and pulled back! Yay! No pictures though. Boo!
Down the hall past the Bloody Baron's costume was the Quidditch stuff. They had things from the World Cup final and the school uniforms and the brooms and Madame Hooch's costume. Then they had a little station where you could throw Quaffles through the three goal hoops! When you made a goal it went *ding!* It made me more happy than it probably should have.
Then they had Buckbeak and the kids outfits from PoA and the executioner's costume. That lead into Hagrid's hut. That had all the random stuff from Hagrid's and his costume and pink umbrella and a Monster Book of Monsters! (Did you ever notice that the book's tentacles have little suction cups?) Hargid's big chair was there and you were allowed to sit in it! My legs stuck straight out! :) Again, no pictures. Boo! Oh, and Norbert's egg was on the table. Every so often it would rattle!
Outside the hut was a baby thestral, two centaurs, the Hungarian Horntail (or it's head anyway), and one of Aragog's children.
Next up was the evil stuff! Quirrell's costume and Harry's little red sweater costume, the Sorcerer's Stone and a winged key, a giant pawn and rook. There was a replica of the evil Angel of Death tombstone that Lord Voldemort uses to hold Harry in GoF. There were wanted poster for the Death Eaters. Bellatrix and Sirius' Azkaban costumes, a replica of a Dementor ("Expecto Patronum!"), Kretcher, and Lucius and Draco Malfoy's costumes from the freeing Dobby scene. You know the costume with the rabbit ice cream bowl hat? (Go here and click on "The Origin of Lucius' Hat" under 2006.)
Then they had Bellatrix's badass costume and a couple KKK Death Eater outfits. Some bitches wouldn't move so I didn't get a really good look at Bella's costume. *le sad*
And then there was Lord Voldemort's rebirth outfit from GoF. "That actually touched Ralph Fiennes!!!!" Also his and Bella's wands and the silver knife.
That lead to a hallway that had the Great Hall Doors complete with Educational Decrees nailed around it. Weee!! Then you went into the Great Hall and there were floating candles up high and a table with the fake food on it. Around the sides were props from GoF. Rita Skeeter's props, the Triwizard Cup (I totally grabbed Chiru's shirt and asked "Didja put yer name in the Goblet of FIYAH!!?!??!") and the papers with the names, the Yule Ball costumes and place settings, the box the Triwizard Cup came in, Karkaroff and Krum's costumes, Fleur's costumes, a costume from each Dumbledore, McGonnagall's nice green costume, the Eldar wand (!!!). They had some Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and little props. Fred and George's uniforms were there. They also had Fudge and Umbridge's costumes and some official Ministry paperwork (even the purple paper airplanes!).
Last thing was Fawkes the phoenix. He's big! Bigger than I thought. After that, it was GTFO and out into the gif shop. That was really crowed too. And EXPENSIVE!! I got the collector's brochure with pictures of everything because, like I said, you couldn't take picture in the exhibit. I also got a postcard of Bellatrix's wanted poster and one of the Hogwarts on Fiyah! DH poster
I was slightly disappointed that there was no Basilisk or Barty Crouch things. I may have peed myself if there had been Barty Crouch things. All in all, I'm really glad we went!
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Going to see Deathly Hallows tomorrow! I'S EXCITED!!!
P.S. It's snowing.