Ramapo’s new organization, Dumbledore’s Army, welcomes students looking to find their Hogwarts house, defend themselves against the Dark Arts or simply meet up with fellow wizards and witches.
The club is named after a group Harry made to help his fellow students defend themselves against the villain Voldemort in the “Order of the Phoenix.” Dumbledore’s Army not only gave Hogwarts students a place to learn, but also a sense of purpose.
President and co-founder Ysabel De La Riva hopes to do the same with Dumbledore’s Army.
“As a founder of the club, my biggest hope is that it does well when I’m gone,” De La Riva said. “I want this to be a home for other kids to feel that they belong.”
Dumbledore’s Army is more than just a group for students to meet and talk about Harry Potter; it brings Harry Potter’s world to life.
From the Sorting to earning house points to real classes, Dumbledore’s Army is a place to relive Harry’s world on campus. There are even inter-house matches and events for everyone to join.
All classes for Dumbledore’s Army are based off the popular book series, and they range from Defense Against the Dark Arts to Potions to Divination (Professor De La Riva’s class). In the Potions class, students mix drinks and taste them to figure out their properties and the name of the potion.
Club members earn house points by attending such classes and inter-house tournaments, where members compete against each other in various events.
Aside from discussing Harry Potter, Dumbledore’s Army hopes to have a larger impact by organizing and hosting fundraisers to help others.
One such fundraiser is Oculus Reparo, which takes old eyeglasses and restores them to give to people in need. The club is also planning a book drive that is coming up this month.
“The Harry Potter Generation is an identity and something to unite under and it’s powerful because it can be used for good or bad like in the books,” treasurer Erica Nilsen said.
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jcosta5@ramapo.edu
