I think every kid who grew up in the early 2000s reading Harry Potter was a little disappointed when they didn’t receive their Hogwarts acceptance letter when they turned 11.

I mean, I knew Harry Potter and Hogwarts and magic weren’t real — but I still kind-of held onto an irrational hope that I was wrong. Harry didn’t know magic was a thing when he received his letter to Hogwarts. I figured the same could happen to me.

I read the books for the first time when I was 8 or 9, and so I had a few years to believe that Hogwarts was potentially in my foreseeable future. My best friend, Erin, and I used to play pretend a lot, and we would pretend we went to Hogwarts. Back then, I used to think I’d be a Ravenclaw (which, to be fair, I still think is a decent fit) because I liked blue, and Erin would be a Slytherin because she liked green.

Now, of course, I know Slytherin is a better place for me — in case you couldn’t tell from the Slytherin scarf, hat, and sweater I now own.

Erin and I would find sticks in the woods behind my house  to use as wands and get dressed up in grey sweaters and pretend to cast spells at each other. I ended up memorizing quite a few spells — beyond your typical Expelliarmus and Expecto Patronum — because of our game. We would also make up a lot of spells, which, given the way most spells sound like nonsense, was pretty easy. Making potions out of random rocks and mud from the creek was also a common pastime.

I turned 11 in November, so I wasn’t sure if I’d get my letter on my actual birthday, midway through my fifth grade year, or if would come the summer before I entered sixth grade, but I figured that was something for Hogwarts administration to deal with. The day I turned 11, I kept an eye out of owls that might have been hidden in the trees or flying above the clouds.

Unfortunately, none came.

Flash forward seven years, and I did however, get my acceptance letter to Notre Dame — and I guess that’s not a bad substitute. There is, after all, a magic in the sound of her name…

That’s about it for today. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one with more updates on my life at Notre Dame. Don’t forget to check me out on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Bloglovin, Twitter, and Tumblr! For business inquiries, shoot me an email at lensembledujour@gmail.com!

Sweater: Hot Topic

Hat: Harry Potter shop

Trousers: Thrifted (Salvation Army)