Going back to school in the Muggle world is so overrated.
We might get planners and new shoes and super expensive headphones that don't actually serve any academic purpose, but in Harry Potter land they...well, they get to go to Hogwarts. This annual tradition is not only one of the best parts of HP lore, but it serves as a great reminder to those of us who have aged way out of academic life that we are 1) old and 2) not wizards.
It's a tough pill to swallow, which is probably why everyone gets so dang excited about this annual holiday in the first place. Even though the Harry Potter tales are long wrapped up, fans of the books and movies have continued on the beloved tradition of celebrating #BacktoHogwarts Day, a.k.a. the day that those fictional Hogwarts students head to Platform 9 3/4 and head on their way. The occasion feels even more relevant this year because of all the current HP news.
As such, we're giving you a handy dandy list of things you can do to get in the Hogwarts spirit.
1. Resurface your old Platform 9 3/4 selfie from that trip to London—what an appropriate time to remind all your followers that you made the pilgrimage.
2. Drink a Butterbeer...or four.
3. Wear a cape. If you don't have one, just raid your local Anthropologie.
4. Ride a train—any train will do, so long as you carry a giant trunk along with you.
5. Eat the most disgusting candy you can find at the grocery store in honor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
6. Run around the yard with a broomstick in between your legs. Extra points if you can hurl a ball at your neighbor.
7. Spend the night sleeping in a cabinet.
8. Drink your beverages solely out of goblets.
9. Call in sick to work and spend the day binge-watching all eight movies.
10. Honor Dobby, the world's fallen hero.
11. Click through each and every one of Neville Longbottom's shirtless pics.
12. Get a pet snake (actually, that's a terrible idea).
13. Figure out how Brexit would effect the characters in Harry Potter.
14. Take the hardest level of the Pottermore Back to Hogwarts quiz and earn bragging rights for the next year.
15. Start every conversation with "Anything from the trolley, dears?"