We are SO into Harry Potter right now in our house. I mean, myself and things 1 and 2 have been into Harry Potter since forever – but now the smalls are getting into it too. We have watched all the films, listened to the first 5 audiobooks, and are almost finished The Philosopher’s Stone as a bedtime story book. They are collecting mini Funko Harry Potter figures, and even drew Hogwarts one morning of the Easter holidays (I was particularly impressed at the elements they included without being reminded of them, such as Crookshanks and the Beauxbatons carriage).

I am delighted by Sebastian and Annabelle talking about what their Patronuses would be (a giraffe and a fox, in case you were wondering). And I was most tickled by a Buzzfeed quiz putting Annabelle in Slytherin (like, duh).

However one aspect of the Pottermania I am LESS keen on is the fact that, as well as practising their ‘Expecto Patronum’ on the Dementors in the garden, the children are now blasting each other with the unforgivable curses. I tried to stop them properly hearing ‘Avada Kedavra’, I really did, but they eventually figured it out. And ‘Crucio’ required little committed listening on their part. So now instead of hearing cries of ‘Annie is a poo poo head’ and ‘Sebastian’s annoying’ from the back of the car, we hear exchanges of ‘Crucio’, accompanied by the pointing of pretend wands.

I would imagine it probably says a lot about me that I find this more upsetting than them just randomly insulting each other (What’s that you say? Me? Overly invested in a fictional world? Never…) but perhaps them being so captivated by a book character is a good thing, even if they are preparing for futures as Death Eaters.