My gloat. Let me show you it.

Every year the park district has a Harry Potter-themed carnival plus DVD showing, which always draws a huge crowd. I never went before, but this year the kidlet has newly discovered that they're a HP maniac, so of course we had to be there.

The kidlet was sorted (into Hufflepuff) and endured something called Wand Evaluation (12 1/2 inches, beechwood, dragon heartstring, actually a stick they picked up out of the yard). There was a guy making balloon-animal wands for kids who hadn't brought their own; unfortunately, they bore a really horrible resemblance to balloon penises complete with testicles, resulting in lots of conversations up and down the line that went, "Mom, what are you laughing at? Mom? Mom, tell me!" Community theater was out in force, as were local fans with hand-knitted house scarves and hand-carved wands.

Half of me was looking around the place more or less with the eyes of my nine-year-old. The other half was thinking: You adults who came in costume? At least two-thirds of you have read Transfigurations. I so win.