Well, the WB Store has come out with a fine new official Harry Potter Halloween costume. Nothing more to see here, show's over, go home. Right?

Note: unless otherwise noted, all storebought items can be found at your local Osco or other drugstore chain with a Halloween aisle

Basic Hogwarts Set:

This basic set will outfit for Harry, Hermione, Ron, all other Hogwarts students, and most of the Hogwarts faculty. Start with the basic outfit and then add accessories appropriate to the character (see below)

Costume:

• Plain Black Robe: These are actually fairly easy to come by. Go to the store and look for a "Horror Robe." They come by themselves or with ghoul outfits or screamer outfits.
• Hogwarts Crest Badge: This can be painted on to felt or paper. (Felt looks better, paper is cheaper.) If you can treat yourself to a gold or silver marker to draw with, so much the better. Approxiamte the Hogwarts crest as best you can, then pin, tape, or sew it onto the front of your robe.
• Wand: If you're one who thinks that all magic wands are made of ebonite, go to the store and buy one from a magician's set. If, however, you note that all of J.K. Rowling's wands are made of wood, there's a cheaper option. You can use a chopstick for a basic wand. For a deluxe edition, take the cardboard bottom of a coat hanger, detach it from the hanger, and color it to look like holly or maple or willow. If you can find some wood-patterned shelf paper to cover the wand with, it'll loook just fabulous. Pour loose glitter down the hollow center of the hanger rod for a "magical" effect. (Remember to keep your wand upright or you'll look like a pixie homicide in no time.)

Accessories:

• Harry:
  • Untidy black hair-- your natural tint or storebought hair spray. Please do not use food coloring or tempera paints.
  • Glasses-- if you don't wear glasses, you can buy costume "nerd glasses." Or you can pick up cheap reading glasses at a dollar store.
  • White owl-- beanie baby or other cheap stuffed critter will do
  • Broomstick-- the kitchen broom, or if you can afford it, a nice cylindrically symmetrical witch broom from your local store
    
• Hermione:
  • Bushy brown hair-- your natural tint or storebought hair wig. Please do not use food coloring or tempera paints.
  • Bookbag-- a fat one filled with huge books.
  • Ginger cat-- beanie baby or other cheap stuffed critter will do
• Ron:
  • Red hair-- your natural tint or storebought hair spray. Please do not use oil paint or industrial dye.
  • Teeny owl-- beanie baby or other cheap stuffed critter will do
• Draco Malfoy:
  • Silver-blond hair-- your natural tint or storebought hair spray. Please do not use fence paint or molten solder.
  • Badge-- construct something out of cardboard, marker, and tinfoil to read "Potter stinks"
• Ginny Weasly:
  
  • Long red hair-- your natural tint or a storebought wig. Please do not use... oh, you get the idea.
  • A cheap diary
• Percy Weasly:
  
  • Red hair-- your natural tint or hairspray.
  • A large badge-- cardboard, markers, tinfoil, whatever. To read "Prefect" or "Head Boy" as please you.
• Fred and George Weasly:
  
  • Red hair-- as above.
  • Broomstick-- the kitchen broom or a storebought witch broom.
  • Yolk equipment-- this has great potential to become an extremely long list. Google glasses, toilet seats, whoopie cushions, fake explosives, a Marauders' Map... go for broke!
  • Gag signs (optional)-- taped to you backs to read "Gred" and "Forge"
• Lee Jordan:
  
  • Dreadlocks-- your natural consistency or a storebought wig.
  • A giant plastic tarantula
• Neville Longbottom:
  
  • Plastic toad-- stuffed critter or water toy
  • Rememberall-- foil ball or storebought crystal ball

Hogwarts Faculty:
For the more adventurous soul, here are some recognizable faces to try out:

• Headmaster Albus Dumbledore:
  
  • A long purple robe-- fairly easy to find in the store. It may or may not have silver starts on it. No biggie.
  • A bushy white beard-- wig recommended.
  • Wand-- as in Basic Hogwarts
• Prof. Minerva McGonagall:
  
  • Robe-- a Basic Hogwarts robe and crest will do. However, it might look rather nicer if you sprung for a fancier robe. We've seen her in a green cloak and black robes or in ugly red tartan robes (see if Dad's old bathrobe is available). I've seen a storebough "Alien" costume that has a very fine set of black robes trimmed with green. Standard wizard or witch outfits in stores might also have useful pieces.
  • Wand-- see "Basic Hogwarts"
  • Glasses-- see "Harry"

  • AN ALTERNATIVE TO THIS IS TO BUY A CAT COSTUME AND GO AS MCGONAGALL TRANSIGURED.
• Prof. Severus Snape:
  
  • Robe-- a Basic Hogwarts robe and crest will do. However, it might look rather nicer if you sprung for a fancier robe. We've seen him often in regular black or Slytherin green. As with Prof. McGonagall, check out storeline wizard and alien outfits.
  • Wand-- see "Basic Hogwarts"
  • Slick long black hair-- either get some gel and slick your own tresses or buy a long black wig and slick that.
  • Cauldron-- optional. Raid the witch supplies at the store.
• Prof. Sybill Trelawney:
  
  • Gypsy dress-- Raid your mother or grandmother's closet and find some garish colored blouses, skirts, kerchiefs, and shawls. Close your eyes and put an outfit together.
  • Garish jewelry-- self explanatory
  • Huge glasses-- see "Harry"
  • Teacup or crystal ball-- optional. See "Neville Longbottom"
• Prof. Remus Lupin:
  
  • Robe-- a Basic Hogwarts robe and crest will do nicely. Add some patches and belt it with the older saddest belt you can find.
  • Wand-- see "Basic Hogwarts"
  • Streaked brown hair-- easy on the talcum powder. The goal is world-weary young man, not Moses.
  • Ratty briefcase-- optional.
• Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid:
  
  • Oversized trench coat-- black or brown. Stuff pockets with beany baby owls, coins, snack, glow-sticks, copies of the "Daily Prophet," slug repellent, etc.
  • Big huge bushy hair and beard-- wig reccommended. Remeber that Hargid is over 60 years old.
  • Pink umbrella-- give it to your little sister when your done and tell her it's a present.

Creepy Characters:
For those who want the more traditional Halloween spirit:

Other Characters:
All right, you get the idea. You can do quite a lot with a good imagination and some stuff around the house. Try your hand at putting together some creative costumes for these seldom-seen yet nonetheless colorful characters! (No more prop lists here. Use your imagination!)

Check out the UHPFC Halloween page to get some ideas!

Group Ideas:
Trick-or-treating with a gang? Want a Potter theme? How about one of these sets?

Hogwarts Founder Foursome:

Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin

Hogwarts Ghost Foursome:

Nearly Headless Nick, The Grey Lady, The Fat Friar, the Bloody Baron

Triwizard Tournament Foursome:

Harry, Viktor Krum, Fleur deLacour, Cedric Diggory

 

Harry's Room Fivesome:

Harry, Ron, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan

Gryffindor Quidditch Sevensome:

Harry, Fred, George, Oliver, Alicia, Angelina, and Katie