Members of the underground campus club Dumbledore’s Army are throwing a dance in honor of their Triwizard Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Dance Zone studio at 1113 Lincoln Ave. Contributing writer Audrey Koster sat down with Club President Brook Mize, and members Alysa Spivak, Rachel Zblewski and Ken Thompson to learn more.
NW: How long has Dumbledore’s Army been around?
Brook: Dumbledore’s Army was created last year by another girl who stepped down and gave the club to me.
NW: When are your meetings?
Brook: Every Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. in Room 3602 West Science.
NW: And the only way you get your word out is via chalk on sidewalks and walls?
Brook: And posters. Which I feel like haven’t been as effective as I want them to be. But right now everything is coming out of pocket for me, which means posters are limited, but walls are free.
NW: Keep up the chalk. I find it’s amusing.
Brook: Oh. Yeah. Well, I guess P-Safety doesn’t.
NW: But now you guys have a Triwizard Tournament and a Yule Ball?
Brook: Yup. Last year we did a basic trial run of the Triwizard, but this year I really wanted to go bigger.
Alysa: We’re much more active this year.
NW: Is it like putting on prom?
Brook: It is. But fancier. The Dance Zone is letting us use their place.
NW: What food will you have?
Brook: Club members have been asked to make treats of various sorts. We’ve got some Weasley-esque treats, chocolate frogs, butterbeer and fruit smoothies.
Alysa: And chocolate wands.
NW: So it says semi-formal on the posters. Is that just to sound less intimidating?
Brook: It was a big discussion because I wanted to hold it as a formal event. However, we are college students; not all of us have formal attire. We figured semi-formal would be decent enough this time around.
NW: It’s 7 bucks a pop, right?
Brook: It’s $7 for one ticket or two for $10, and on the day of the ball, last minute ticket prices jump a bit. The proceeds are going toward decorations and leftovers will mostly go to Dance Zone for allowing us to use their space.
NW: How many members are currently active?
Brook: Right now we have about 13 people active, but we average 10 per meeting.
NW: Are you trying to recruit non-members to come to the ball and perhaps join?
Brook: Yes, we want to show people what we do a little bit in order to spark some interest.
Ken: And it’s not just about the fan club, I’ve learned so much about just the lore of Harry Potter being in this for a few months. Plus I’ve met new people.
Rachel: Not to mention the exercise you get every meeting.
NW: What exercise?
Brook: Dueling!
Rachel: Well, we run around the halls at night shouting nonsense at each other. On more than one occasion I’ve ran around a corner and shouted a spell at a janitor.
NW: What? How many of you have wands?
All: All of us.
Brook: Every member gets to make their own wand.
NW: Where? How? Tell me.
Ken: At my job I have a complete wood shop at my disposal where I can do wood grinding.
Brook: He makes the super fancy ones, the rest of us make the cheap-o college ones.
NW: How many times on average do you watch just one Harry Potter film?
Rachel: I’m actually on a Harry Potter fast. I’m not reading the books or watching the movies until after I graduate so I can have a refreshing experience.
Email Mize at [email protected] for more information on club meetings and ball tickets.
