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Kelsey Soupen cannot stop smiling. After all she is one of the few muggles to have ever stepped inside the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She went into Harry Potter's dormitory and walked through those corridors and classrooms where J.K. Rowling's famous fictional wizard learnt about magic spells, magical creatures and quidditch and had some of his most exciting adventures. Kelsey also had lunch in the Great Hall and even met Harry's friends, Cho Chang and Neville Longbottom.
The lucky 9-year-old from South Africa got this unique opportunity thanks to a raffle organised by Ibn Battuta Mall last year. Kelsey is still too young to read the thick Harry Potter books, but she has heard stories about all of Harry's adventures from her two older sisters and has seen all of the Harry Potter movies several times. As soon as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released Kelsey went to see it with her sisters at the Ibn Battuta Mall.
Along with their tickets, they were given some raffle coupons.
“I did not know what the prize was but when I dropped my coupon into the box, I made a special wish that I should win a Harry Potter prize," says Kelsey. “When we got a message from the mall that I had won, my mum thought I would get a Harry Potter hamper. We could not believe it when we found out that the prize was a trip to London for two people to visit the sets of the latest Harry Potter film," recalls Kelsey.
‘Amazing'
She chose to share her prize with her mother Charmaine and the two waited excitedly for the shooting of the next Potter movie to begin. Their visit to the Leavesden studios on the outskirts of London last month turned out to be everything they had imagined it to be.
“There were 62 winners like me from around the world and we were the first visitors ever allowed on the sets. It was amazing to go around the huge set and see those familiar sights from the movies. We saw Harry's bed in the Griffyndor dormitory, principal Dumbledore's office, some of the classrooms, Hermione's favourite place — the library and the make-up room used by the actors," recalls Kelsey.
“But the best part was having lunch in the Great Hall. I even walked up to the second row in the centre where Harry always sits with his friends. I also enjoyed the special effects demonstration where they showed us how they create the magical creatures and visual effects," she added.
Treasured souvenirs
Although her favourite actor Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, was not shooting that day, Kelsey did meet the actors Katie Leung and Matthew Lewis, who play Cho Chang and Neville Longbottom. Among her treasured souvenirs from that magical day are photographs with the two actors and a goody bag containing a wizard's hat, wand, scarf and Harry Potter tattoo and stickers.
“We did get a peek at some sets and scenes from the new movie but we are not allowed to give anything away before the film is released," says Kelsey.
During her short stint at Hogwarts, Kelsey did not learn how to fly on a broom or cast spells, but she has learnt a lot about the magic of creating an imaginary world on screen.
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