The Harry Potter Exhibition

The HP Exhibition was in Toronto at the Ontario Science Centre from April to September. I went to it twice, the second week it was open and another time in August. Three times, if you count the press day with James and Oliver Phelps. It was really cool and I absolutely loved it.

(I apologize now if I forget things but I went three months ago.)

Okay, let's start where everything starts, the beginning.

When you walk in, there is a corner lit up with a stool and the sorting hat on it. A lady ushers everyone in and encourages us to get close to the front. Then she asks for people (kids) that want to be sorted. It was great the first time, when the four kids chosen said they wanted to be in each of the different houses, which, of course, they were sorted into.

Then the doors behind opened. A rather loud person with a lamp always welcomed us through them. We were led into a dark room that was hexagonal shaped with what looked like two posters on three of the walls opposite the doors. After the doors were closed, the posters lit up and showed images and clips from all of the movies with sound of course. After, the poster things looked like a train passing by and the next set of doors were opened.

The Hogwarts Express was waiting for us on the other side. There were always "prefects" walking around to help and watch over. After turning in from the train, there was a wall with portraits, that moved. There was the Fat Lady singing, like in Prisoner of Azkaban, and a portrait hole for people to walk through sticking out of the wall.

Here is where I forget where things are.

The first bit of stuff is the Gryffindor boy's dormitorie with Harry's and Ron's things, like on Ron's side there was a Chudley Cannons poster and his broken wand. There were also things from the girl's too, like Parvati's uniform. All along the way, there were screens showing clips from the movies. After all the student costumes and such, there was the class rooms. There was a potions section which included Slughorn's things. There was also a Defence Against the Dark Arts section, which had a moving cabinet (boggart) and the jack-in-the-box that Padma changed from a snake and Umbridge things, and a Herbology part with the Mandrakes, which were ready to be pulled and made noises. I also think I saw Neville's mimbulus mimbletonia.

After that bit, there was a quidditch part with uniforms of the house teams and Bulgaria's and Ireland's uniforms. There was also a place where you could try to throw the quaffle through a hoop. Beside the quidditch gear, there was Hagrid's hut with a moving dragon's egg and his lovely big arm chair. In this section there were also models of some creatures seen throughtout the movies.

There was a Dark section with Tom Riddle Sr.'s tombstone, Azkaban prison costumes and a flowing Voldemort costume, complete with audio of him say "You're a fool and you will lose everything." Along the walls were wanted posters.

After this, there was the great hall. Going through the doors of the great hall, there were educational decrees, and to the right, there was the Bloody Baron's costume. In the great hall, there were Weasley Wizard Wheezes products and food from the feasts on the left. On the right, there were the costumes from the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire. In front, there were teacher's costumes.

At the end, there was the gift shop. I spent a lot of money there...