Ever really wished to be connected to Hogwarts even though it is fictional? The Harry Potter Club, part of the Harry Potter Alliance, aims to fulfill that wish by bringing the love of Harry Potter to APSU’s campus.
The Harry Potter Club started last semester and is fairly new here at APSU. It is a club where fans of the franchise and series can gather to share interest but also help out the community within their shared interests.
“We are planning on doing Harry Potter movie nights, trivia ones over the movies and books. There is a lot of weird and unique crafts that are Harry Potter themed so we would love to do craft nights as well,” Harry Potter Club President and senior English major Arielle Raymos said.
Raymos said the club plans to do all sorts of fun Harry Potter themed nights but also want to work on community projects.
Last semester, the club worked on a book drive called Accio Books. The club donated the books to schools in need. Raymos said that the club focuses mostly on literary themed projects.
The club is currently working on putting together a movie night for October. Raymos said she likes the Halloween theme idea because “it works well with Harry Potter.”
“The club is also a branch of The Harry Potter Alliance, which works with a lot of nonprofit charity organizations. The alliance does a lot of campaigns on a lot of important issues,” Raymos said. “The current one is on girls’ education around the world. For our part of this we plan to show a movie about girls’ struggles to get education that is not as easy as in the U.S.”
Raymos said she hopes the club can come together, sharing an interest in Harry Potter while also having an impact on charities together. In terms of Raymos’s own interest in Harry Potter, she said her favorite character in the series is Draco Malfoy and her current house is Slytherin.
Raymos said the club does not discriminate based on interest.
“Anyone is welcome to join the club, fans of the movie or books, and even people who are just interested in the projects,” Raymos said. “That is what I like about the club: we can partner social issues also with interests in Harry Potter. For example, showing things like the documentaries or just a fun trivia night.”
Raymos said she hopes the club can grow because everyone always asks her what would she even do in a Harry Potter Club. She wants to spread the word that it is not just about being obsessed with Harry Potter. Raymos said the club is about community and enjoying a shared passion.
“I actually work in Student Organizations, and that is where you go to start a club and it was my first one, so it was really nice to have help from the organization about questions or problems,” Raymos said.
The club has already received at least 100 emails asking for details about the organization, how to join and how often it meets. The club’s first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 21 at 4:45 p.m. in the Morgan University Center.
Raymos said her goal is to help everyone connect through interests and expand their perspectives, through learning about social issues or working on projects together as a club.
