The Search for the Golden Snitch

After Potions Class I, Professor MacGonagall, helped the kids clean up their potion stained hands and started "Transfiguration class" during which time Professor Dumbledore quickly hid the paper clues for the "Golden Snitch Hunt". We did it at the last minute so there was no chance a kid would notice a clue hidden in the bathroom or somewhere else before the search started and spoil the whole thing.


I had just transformed a toad into a rat when Professor Dumbledore hands me a scroll announcing the Golden Snitch is missing.


It says Transfiguration class is cancelled so students can help aid in the recovery. A reward of 1 Galleon, 1 Sickle and 1 Knut will be paid to each student that helps. A suspicious person was spotted by Prof. Snape near the girls lavatory. That clue starts the search in the bathroom..


Squeezing this many kids into our bathroom was quite a feat.


We hid a decoy clue in the bathroom just for fun.




The real clue found behind Moaning Myrtle.


Searching Diagon Alley.


Evie put it together and found the clue in the skull. She did not know any of the locations or clues. She wanted it all to be a surprise.

This was a Halloween decoration.

Craziness on the stairs as we headed up to the "restricted section library". I think it was hardest for me in my full length skirt. I wanted to be right there to make sure nobody fell down the stairs.


Again cramped spaces made for a frenzied search.


We had to help them make the connection between the Golden Snitch and the Golden Book by asking "What color is the Golden Snitch?" Amazingly I found this book a few days before the party for sale at a Safeway for $1 donation. (It's called Surgeon by Frank Slaughter and was not originally gold. I wish I knew why they painted it. If you want a gold book you'll probably have to paint one yourself but I didn't have to so I don't have instructions.)




The clue inside the book leads us back down the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room.


They know they are looking for a musical instrument.


See the green tip of the flute on the right? It was easier to see in person.


They head back to where Fluffy was.


Evie plays music to Fluffy and we unlock the basement door.


The clue under Fluffy's paw.


They slide through the Devil's Snare.


Into the room with the flying keys.


The big key "unlocks" the "door".


Which is really a curtain with a paper lock Evie made.




The kids each take a turn looking into the mirror of Erised to see if their heart's desire will reveal the location of the missing Golden Snitch. After they've all had a turn they say to me "YOU do it."


I pretend to look hard into the mirror and then say "Ahhhhhhhh. I seeeeeeeee... it is....(long pause)...in a drawer nearby."


After a quick look around it is found!


The chest was slid pretty far back to make it a little harder to find.


This is what we were searching for. Yay! We recovered the missing Golden Snitch so the Quiddich tournament is saved.  (I bought the Golden Snitch from Alivan's for $3.59. The Harry Potter chest is from the Harry Potter Uno game.) We headed upstairs to dole out the reward money.

The Flying Keys

I was able to get a bunch of cool old keys off E-bay for a few dollars. My husband then made a Photoshop document with the shape of wings. I printed it onto "antique parchment" paper and had my son Adrian cut them out. We then taped the wings on (tedious), tied nylon thread to the key and taped the thread to the ceiling using clear packing tape.



I think he was nearly ready to kill me over this one. But he helped.

Taping wings on keys has to be one of the weirder things we've done in our life.

I got the large key off E-bay as well for $10. It was perfect and was used to unlock the door during the Golden Snitch hunt. I know the kids will continue to use it for imaginitive play. At least that's how I justified the expense. It took a little extra tape to secure.

It turned out to be a cool effect and helped make our boring basement hallway feel a little more magical for the kids.