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Harvard or Hogwarts? You be the judge

From one storied campus to another, here are a few similarities between the fictional school and the local university.

BOS-Harvard-Annenberg-Hall-2023

Just add magic floating candles and students wearing robes.

Photo by @snfad_diela

Cue the Harry Potter theme.

We’re taking another look at the Marauder’s Map and the restricted section of the library to uncover evidence that likens Harvard to Hogwarts. Here’s what we found.

Houses
Just like the story, Harvard students are sorted into different upperclassmen Houses after freshman year by a Housing lottery vs. wearing a talking hat. There are 12 Houses and each House dons specific colors around campus.

Dining Hall
All first year students, aka freshmen, eat in Annenberg Hall, the largest dining hall on campus. The massive room features stained glass windows, long tables, and while there are no magical floating candles there are plenty of details in the arched ceiling.

Sports
Head to the Qudditch pitch to see the Harvard Horntails take the field. This club plays a muggle version call quadball — a mix of rugby, dodgeball, basketball, and wrestling.

Bonus: Cambridge has been reporting frequent cases of swooping owls. Could this be your letter to Hogwarts on the way? You tell us.

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