Written by Avi Sriram, a grade 10 student

As I was getting bored during the lock-down, I decided to re-watch The Harry Potter series. Reliving the magic of Sorcerers’ stone was enough to motivate me to binge watch the entire series. It took me back five years ago, when I first read the entire series of iconic Harry Potter.

More importantly, it was a treat for me to relive the making of Harry Potter movies. I got to visit the sets of Harry Potter at the Warner Brothers Studios and discover the magic behind the making of the film.

The Warner Brothers – Harry Potter Studio is located in Leavesden in south-eastern England. As you walk through the magical doors of the studio, the first thing you notice is the famous cupboard under the stairs, where it all began.

The next stop leads you to a rather large door. This is the room where some of the most iconic scenes of the sorting hat and the yule ball were shot. It is the Great Hall containing two unusually large tables for the meals as well as the tables where the professors sat. This was the very place where Dumbledore said his long extended “Silence”, to maintain order among the students of Hogwarts. A scene which brought a smile on everyone s face.

Further down the alley, is the rather scary Forbidden Forest, first seen in the Sorcerer’s stone followed by the set used in the Araggog scene, in the Chamber of Secrets.

The enchanting Platform nine and three quarters comes up next. Remember the scene where Harry has absolutely no idea how to find the platform and the Weasley s come to his rescue. At the studio you can see the platform nine and three quarters with the Hogwarts Express standing majestically on the railway tracks exactly the way we see it on screen.

Another integral part of the movie, the Diagon Alley comes up next during the studio walk. This place is home to not only the Gringotts bank, but also the famous Ollivander’s Wand Shop where Harry gets his first wand and the pet store where Harry first found Hedwig, his companion through the movie series. The shops neatly lined down the narrow archway seemed almost close to real, as if one was part of the movie.

Your studio walk ends at the souvenir store. Here you can bring home a little bit of magic – from wands, T Shirts, jackets to other props.

It was a surreal experience, and is a must visit, if you are in London. If this article has excited you enough, you can visit this link to know more https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/explore-the-tour/. Of course, the lock-down has to end to take vacations and travel.

Written by Avi Sriram who is in grade 10 at the National Public School, Koramangala, Bangalore

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