“The whole point . . . is international, magical cooperation, to make friends.”
--Hermione Granger on the Yule Ball
The Goblet of Fire
Northern Illinois University’s first annual Muggle Ball held at Altgeld Auditorium on a snowy December 2, 2006, may not have been international in scope, but certainly the cooperation and generosity of many friends made the event possible. With over 300 guests of all ages in attendance, a successful Silent Auction benefiting NIU Friends of the Library, and music by the Remus Lupins (whose motto is “Fight evil, read books”), the evening was a memorable one. Perhaps it was most special of all to the fifteen Muggle Academy students who had spent the day being sorted into houses, exploring the books and films on Harry Potter ®, competing in a Scavenger Hunt, and tracking down Moaning Myrtle in a bathroom of Reavis Hall. The winning house? Slytherin!
The Muggle Academy, simultaneous teacher workshop, and Muggle Ball, all under the direction of English doctoral student Karley Adney, were organized by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming. We wish to thank our generous underwriters of the Ball: NIU Friends of the Library, the Department of English, Sigma Tau Delta, the College of Education, and NIU Outreach. Contributors to the Silent Auction included the NIU Bookstore, Barnes and Noble, Village Commons Bookstore, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, NIU Campus Childcare, Glidden Campus Florist, Imagine Salon, the Haircuttery, WNIU/WNIJ, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Hillside Restaurant, TCF Bank, and NIU Intercollegiate Athletics.
If you missed out on the fun, watch for this summer’s week-long Muggle Academy, to be held July 29-August 3, 2007, with a new daytime track just for younger children, including a celebration of Harry’s birthday on July 31. For more information, visit www.niu.edu/clasep or call 815-753-5200.
These events are not endorsed, or in any way supported, directly or indirectly, by Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Harry Potter ® book publishers, or J.K. Rowling and her representatives.