As a Harry Potter fan, I’ve lived with an empty space in my heart ever since the last film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, came and went from the theatres. I’ve tried to fill that hole with Pottermore, the additional books like Tales of Beetle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. And while they helped with the craving, it wasn’t until I walked into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, on a sunny May morning that I finally felt like I was home, living the wizard world again.

ON THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY
It was a good thing that I didn’t let myself get distracted (this is an important point to remember), because the best thing about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Los Angeles had a queue that would take at least an hour-and-a-half to navigate. Welcome to the Hogwarts Castle, which houses the Forbidden Journey ride! 
Don’t hate the line too much because you wind your way through a lot of incredible things and places on your way to the ride. Outside, there’s the Ford Anglia that Harry and Ron crash in the Forbidden Forest in Chamber of Secrets, attendants dressed in house robes guiding your way, and the majestic view of the castle looming above. Get inside and you are greeted by a wall of portraits, and some of them not only move and walk in and out of frames but also converse with each other. You walk past the Potions Store and the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and Dumbledore’s office. 
I dare you not say “Lemon Drop” or “Sherbet Lemon” as you move past the phoenix statute guarding Dumbledore’s office, or stare at The Fat Lady while she asks you to move along. You’ll notice that Gryffindor has the maximum number of points as you pass the hourglasses, and that the mandrakes in Herbology are really ugly. 
If you think all this is a treat, strap yourself in for the ride and you’ll never be the same again. Because in the Forbidden Journey ride, you are on a broom (in my head it is a Firebolt) and flying at breakneck speed over the grounds of Hogwarts, playing Quidditch, dodging a dragon and the Whomping Willow before landing in the Great Hall to thunderous applause. I wanted to do it again, but I didn’t have the time for another hour-long wait. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The towering spires of the Hogwarts castle are visible almost immediately on entering the theme park after getting your ticket (it was $110, or around Rs 7,058 as per current conversion rates, for a day pass to Universal Studios Hollywood) and like any Potterhead, I made a beeline for the archway with a hanging sign that read ‘Hogsmeade’. And even before I had entered the town, for which the witches and wizards from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, needed permission slips signed by their parents/guardians, I was instantly transported to the world I had spent a good 17 years wanting, desperately, to be a part of. 
Walk in and you are surrounded by quaint buildings dusted in snow, glinting in the sun. Everything looked so real! I got a crick in my neck in the first five minutes as I swivelled my head trying to take in everything at one go. “Oh, look! That’s Zonko’s”, “Oh, wait! That’s Honeydukes, I want a Chocolate Frog!”, “Oh my god! That’s a Nimbus 2000!” 

OTHER MUST-DO THINGS 
Once you’ve steadied your wobbly legs, collected your bags and made it out of the castle, you’ll probably be hungry and thirsty. For food, you can go to The Three Broomsticks cafe and there’s Butterbeer being sold in carts outside. Please let me tell you that it will only taste “great” if you have the world’s sweetest tooth. 
While you chug on it, wander about and soak in the atmosphere. Try out Bertie Bott’s Every Flavoured Beans at the Honeydukes shop. Check other cool Harry Potter stuff, like Cho Chang’s Yule Ball gown, The Monster Book of Monsters, and the Hogwarts choir group. You can also try out the other ride, Flight of the Hippogriff, but it will be far more fun for children than adults. 
What you should not miss out is a pop into Ollivander’s where wizards help the wand choose you. Believe me when I say it is pretty convincing, and I am now the proud owner of an Elder Wand. You can pick up interactive wands that let you do spells at 11 windows in Hogsmeade. If, like me, you don’t, then just wait for excited kids to come and wave their wands and set papers fluttering and opening boxes. 
Here’s the truth. I think Potterheads will have a way better experience with the world of Harry Potter at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter than with a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film in the hall. So sue me!

Text and pictures: Chandreyee Chatterjee