15 Ways To Live Out Your Harry Potter Dreams IRL

Quidditch is a legit sport than any of us can play — with or without a Nimbus 3000. All you need is some hula hoops and broomsticks to play it in your backyard, or you could even go pro and join a major Quidditch league.

With a little bit of home DIY, you can turn your front door into the Platform 9 3/4 barrier. All you have to do is paint a brick pattern onto a plastic table cloth and hang it over your front door, with a human-sized slit cut up the center. It makes a great entrance for your guests if you're throwing a Harry Potter party — or you could just keep it up forever, and feel the magic every time you go home.

If you're lucky enough to be in New York City, don't miss out on seeing the play Puffs, or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic — which is basically Harry Potter but with the Hufflepuffs as the main characters.

You'll find these Wizard School Scavenger Hunts in big cities across the country, from New York to Chicago to LA. They're hosted at tourist attractions such as the Met, or the Getty Center — and your magical mission is to track down a series of Harry Potter inspired items and works of art.

This is a cute DIY idea that I've seen a few places, or you can buy a ready-made Lumos light switch cover from Etsy. Turning your lights on and off has never felt so enchanting.

Ask your local bar for a Harry Potter themed shot; you may be surprised at how many bars have secret menu items. If you're in New York, the Barcelona Bar is a particularly good place to visit; their flaming Harry Potter shot will blow you away.

Talking of secret menu items, Starbucks will whip you up some Butterbeer if you know how to ask. If your barista isn't in on the secret, just ask for a Creme Frappuccino base with whole milk, three pumps each of caramel syrup and toffee nut syrup, and topped with caramel drizzle. It's incredibly sweet, but you know it's what Harry would do.

During the Death Eaters' regime, some underground public toilets in Whitehall were used as the entrance to the Ministry of Magic — something that Harry, Hermione, and Ron experienced first hand when they had to sneak into the Ministry in disguise. Sticking a "Ministry of Magic this way" decal on your own toilet will make your guests laugh out loud — but it'll also make you feel closer to the wizarding world every time you use the bathroom.

This The Grim-inspired teacup and saucer will make you feel like Harry every time you drain the last drop of tea, and come face to face with your fortune.

...Or buy some ready-made from Etsy. This Polyjuice Potion is full of a magical liquid that changes color as you swirl the bottle. It looks good enough to drink — but you definitely shouldn't (otherwise you might risk turning into a cat).

A hand-crafted Weasley sweater is a highly coveted fashion item, even if Ron and his brothers didn't always think so. When you're snuggled up in one of these, you won't believe you're not actually at the Burrow.

Wizard rock music is far from niche; there are actually over 500 wizard rock bands out here in the Muggle world. The genre started back in 2002 with punk rock group Harry and the Potters — who sang songs such as "Save Ginny Weasley," "Follow the Spiders" and "My Teacher is a Werewolf." Draco and the Malfoys offer some darker options, like "Hippogriffs Deserve to Die" and "I Couldn't Kill Albus Dumbledore."

Thanks to a team of super-fans with some serious coding skills, you can now actually enroll in Hogwarts classes online. And these classes are seriously legit, complete with textbooks and written assignments, like essays that will actually be graded.

If you want your everyday life to sound more Harry Potter-esque, listen to some Harry Potter soundscapes while you go about your everyday tasks. While you're reading, play the sounds of the Hogwarts library; while you're washing dishes, listen to the sound of the Gryffindor common room.

And for the most hardcore wizarding experience, sign up for your local LARP — i.e. live action role play. Essentially, this is when a bunch of Harry Potter superfans come together, get dressed up, and role play different Harry Potter scenarios, from Hogwarts classes to duels. At a LARP, there's not a Muggle in sight.