The arrival of October means three things to me; eating baked goods, trying to come up with a Halloween costume that doesn't feel ridiculous, and all things Harry Potter. There's something about fall that makes me feel almost heartbroken that I am not ever going to be a student at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That I'm never going to be a part of that magical world, no matter desperately I might wish it to be true. And yes, I know I'm a grown up woman. Which is why I can cure my sadness with these Harry Potter mugs; because I might not be magical, but I sure know how to fill up the deep well of emptiness inside me with some delightful online shopping.
In my experience, Harry Potter-licensed goods can be rather hit or miss. Especially when you're an adult and you're trying to convince the world that your interest in the books and movies is actually quite nonchalant. I can't exactly go around wearing a cloak and carrying an ineffective wand as a mother of four, can ? Wait... can I? No, probably not. Which is why these new mugs from Amazon fit the bill perfectly for me. They're reasonably priced, with most selling for under $20, witty and nostalgic all at the same time. Plus, a few are genuinely magical once you fill them with a hot liquid. Like that magical brew, coffee.
Mischief Managed
This mug starts out blank until you fill it with some nice hot liquid like the aforementioned coffee (or hot chocolate if you're buying for a child, I suppose). Then the actual Marauder's Map we all remember so well from Messers Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs wraps around the mug. Keep in mind this isn't dishwasher or microwave-safe. Treat it with the kid gloves it so rightfully deserves.
If I'm Not In Gryffindor I'm Leaving
So this mug makes me nervous and also excites me greatly. The Sorting Hat mug will reveal which house you're meant to be in (Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff) when you fill it with hot liquid. It's the priciest of the bunch, selling for around $40, and also the most panic-inducing. I've already been sorted into Hufflepuff once and that really can't happen again.
How I Feel Every Day
All you need to know is that I will be purchasing this brilliantly witty and succinctly apt mug. And I believe you should probably do the same.
Muggles Just Don't Get It
I think all die-hard Harry Potter fans love a good wink-wink reference. Something mere muggles wouldn't really understand and are therefore lesser people because of it. This mug that reads "If you don't get my Harry Potter references there is something Siriusly Ron with you" is brilliant. As Ron Weasley himself would say whilst looking befuddled.
If Wizards Used Tinder...
They would use this mug to let people know how things would roll once the lights went out. Which they would presumably put out with that Deluminator Professor Dumbledore uses in the first book. Once the lights are out, according to this mug, expect your wizard to be "A muggle in the streets, a wizard in the sheets."
I can't tell you how glad I am these mugs exist. It helps me resent the magic-free world we live in a little less.
