It will probably come as no surprise to frequent OOTB readers that Shoshana, Cindy, and I were some of the first attendees to arrive at PotterCon Boston on Saturday afternoon. Less a con and more a low-key party, this event was the "the first annual Boston day-drinking and mingling destination for [grown-up] Harry Potter fans."

The PotterCon crew did a great job transfiguring the too-cool Paradise Rock Club into a Potterhead paradise with magic-themed decor details (even extending to the bathrooms!). PotterCon staffers were dressed as Hogwarts students and professors. (Snape was especially impressive, never breaking character.) Movie scores and Wizard Rock provided the day's soundtrack.





Main-stage events included a Sorting Ceremony (let the record show that while Cindy was Sorted into Ravenclaw this time, she's a Gryffindor at heart), an extremely competitive costume contest, a next-level trivia game (name all the tasks to reach the Sorcerer's Stone and each of the professors who designed them — in order?!?), and an "In Memoriam" tribute to lost characters.





In between, we visited the many activity stations to pose with wizardly props in the photo booth, play Quidditch Pong, and have our tea leaves read by Trelawney.





We earned points for our individual houses in the House Cup, which turned out to be quite contentious: our group of five friends was comprised of one person from each house and a hybrid (Ravenpuff, represent!). We oohed and ahhed over the nerdy merchandise. And there may have a been a few Butterbeers consumed.



We're looking forward to next year's PotterCon! In the meantime, we're going to have to study our Potter trivia and step up our costume game. See if PotterCon is coming to your area.